Fairy Tail: Hero
by colbert-238
Summary: Lucy and Natsu accept a mysterious job in the town of Soveria, unaware that doing so will put their very lives in danger, and test the limits of their friendship. In a town where mages magical power is being mysteriously stolen, Natsu will learn what it truly means to be a hero.
1. Intro

**Fairy Tail: Hero**

Against any attempt she made to hold it back, Lucy felt a wide smile grace her lips. What brought it on she wasn't sure, but given her present situation, it could've been several different factors. Maybe the rays of sunlight warming her skin?, the sounds of her friends laughter in the distance?, or even the simple peaceful feeling days like this always caused?. After so long, she simply gave up trying to guess.

As long as she was smiling, why did the reason even matter?.

"Miss Lucy. Aren't you afraid you'll fall up there?."

In response to the softly asked question, Lucy opened her eyes and looked down at Wendy's always cheerful gaze. The small girl, try as she might, was unable to return her gaze. Then again, seeing as she was currently using the guilds roof as an impromptu tanning salon, it wasn't surprising that she couldn't be seen from the ground.

Lucy's smile widened to match her friends. "I'll be fine" she answered, "don't worry, I'll be down in a few minutes anyway."

Wendy's expression saddened, but only for a second. "Okay" the girl said with a smile, "but you really should think about summoning Aries just in case, you could break something from a fall like that." On her way back around the building, the small girl waved playfully to the person she couldn't see.

Along with Wendy, Lucy knew several other members of the guild were present in the buildings backyard, no doubt using the sunny day as an excuse to get outside. Among the group, she could hear Levy and Wendy laughing hysterically, Gajeel yelling for a reason that was probably related, and Gray (along with a no doubt heart-eyed Juvia) trying to talk over it all. She could also hear Elfman, apparently in an argument with Lisanna over who could pick berries more like a man.

It was strange really, even after losing everything they'd worked so hard to build. The pool, the cafe', the gift shop. Her friends managed to have just as much fun, if not more, simply by being together.

And you wondered why you were smiling' she thought to herself, 'you idiot.'

When a sudden thought entered her mind, Lucy forced herself to her feet, sighing deeply as she looked to the woman lying beside her. Erza, like herself, was dressed in a simple bikini top and bottom, stretched out on the roof as the sunlight warmed her skin.

Even after all this time, Lucy found herself taken aback by the woman's beauty. Flowing scarlet hair, a body most women would kill for, and a constant aura that basically screamed power. It was enough to get even her heart pumping, and for that she couldn't help but be just a little envious. Still, she put such thoughts behind her, hiding them under her smile as she leaned down next to the red-haired woman.

"I haven't seen Natsu or Happy in a while. Did they go home already?."

Keeping her eyes closed, Erza calmly shook her head. "They've been glued to the request board all day, I'd check there."

A quick thanks, and Lucy was off towards the ladder. Just as Erza had said, she found both Natsu and Happy by the request board. Neither noticed her approach, that is until she announced herself with a soft clear of her throat. "You two are relentless. Come up and relax with Erza and me, everyone knows their hasn't been a decent job on that board in weeks."

"I'm tired of sitting around" Natsu said stubbornly, never once taking his eyes off the board.

"Aye. Me too" Happy agreed, "besides Lucy, shouldn't you be starting to worry about your rent pretty soon?."

Opening her mouth for a quick-witted reply, Lucy instead fell into an instant gloom when her mind drew a blank. Sheepishly pushing her fingers together, she inched beside Natsu to look over the board herself. "I...I've been trying not to think about it. I figured a good job would turn up eventually."

With a deep sigh, Natsu fell into the bench a few steps behind him. "Well it's not looking good, everything available is just simple jobs around town, you'd have to do a dozen to even come close to a decent reward."

"Looks like its life on the street for you Lucy" Happy said as he landed on the girls head. "Don't worry, you can stay with us until you find another place."

Lucy's heartbeat increased dramatically. "Me!. In that rundown shack you two call a house!." All but slamming her face into the request board, she began to hastily skim through each and every piece of parchment in front of her. "Over my dead body!. I'll do every job here if I have to!, the jewels will add up eventually!."

Her frantic search went on for several minutes, after which Natsu smashed his fist into the request board, missing Lucy's face by only a few inches.

"Man!, this is so frustrating!" the man bellowed, his voice more reminiscent of a child than someone his own age. "Cleaning houses!, fixing bridges!. How am I supposed to get any stronger doing these kind of jobs!?." When silence was the only response to his outrage, the angered man turned on his heel and started down the guildhall. "That's it!, I'm challenging Erza again!."

"No!" Happy screamed in protest, pulling on the mans scarf with all his might. "Throwing your life away won't help you get any stronger!. Remember what happened the last time you two fought!."

Lucy barely heard any of the commotion, focused entirely on the now cracked board ahead of her. "I won't live there. I can't, Virgo would collapse from exhaustion before the place was even remotely livable!. There has to be a decent job available!."

"Ya know, there is one more job I can let you look at."

Mirajane's soft toned voice turned all three heads. Lucy pulled her eyes off the request board, Natsu stopped suddenly in his tracks, and Happy (who still had a solid grip on the mans scarf) flew directly into his back with a solid thud. A second later, all three of them were seated directly across from the smiling girl, who'd been silently wiping off the counter for the past few minutes.

"A new job?" Lucy asked hesitantly, "did it just come in or something?."

Mirajane's smile widened as she nodded her head. "Just this morning, not even the Master has seen it yet."

"Alright, lets see it then!" Natsu said with two eagerly clenched fists.

With another wide smile, Mirajane leaned under the counter. A single piece of parchment was placed in front of her, which Natsu, Happy, and Lucy all proceeded to look over as she went back to work.

The parchment read as follows: 'Request for capable wizard to solve incident in the town of Soveria. Payment of 500,000 Jewels will be paid up front, expenses included, additional 200,000 when the job is complete.'

"Soveria, that's not far from here" Lucy said, thinking aloud. "But I don't quite understand what the job is for, it doesn't even say who in town sent the request."

"Who cares!?" Natsu yelled excitedly, nearly knocking the girl from her seat with the volume of his voice. "Look at the reward!, this job has to be dangerous if someone's willing to pay that much!." Without even a second spent in thought, the passionate man slammed the request back down on the counter. "We'll take it."

"No can do" Mirajane answered with a smile.

After a short silence, all three wizards fell from their seats in unison. From her spot on the floor, Lucy did her best to shove Natsu's body off her own. "What do you mean?. Why let us look at the request if we can't take it?."

"I can't let you accept this job" came Mirajane's response. "At least, not yet. A request like this has to be reviewed by the Master before anyone can claim it. Even then, one this mysterious will probably be bumped up to S-class."

Back on his feet, Natsu slumped over in a fit of depression. "Aw, come on. This is the only interesting job in weeks, you have to let us take it."

Mirajane shook her head sternly. "Sorry Natsu, it's just not my decision to make."

Lucy finally pulled herself off the floor, placing a still dazed Happy on the counter as she sat back down. As calmly as she could, she racked her mind for a way to get the job request away from Mirajane. The girl was far smarter than her looks suggested, she wasn't just going to hand over the request willingly. However, if she'd learned anything in her time at Fairy Tail, it was that everyone in the guild had a weakness.

"Oh!. Mirajane, I almost forgot to tell you!." The high pitch of Lucy's voice instantly gained Mirajane's attention. In one fluid motion, Lucy wrapped a hand around Natsu's waist, pulling the man in close as she aimed her smile across the corner. "Natsu finally asked me out, we're going on our first date tomorrow."

The lie tugged at her stomach, especially when it brought such a wide smile to Mirajane's lips. "Really!?, oh I knew it was only a matter of time!" the girl said, happily clapping her hands together.

"Oh!."

Disappearing under the counter, Mirajane reappeared with a number of thick magazines held against her chest. "You said tomorrow!, that only gives us today to pick out your dress. I think I have more magazines upstairs!. Wait right here!, oh this is so exciting!."

Lucy didn't waste any time. The second Mirajane was out of sight, she grabbed the job request and (dragging a confused Natsu behind her) took off out the main entrance.

* * *

**_Magnolia Train Station_**

Lucy clutched to the job request like her soul was attached to it. The piece of parchment was held hard against her chest, out of sight from anyone who passed as she sat, rather impatiently, on a bench along the stations back wall. The sun had just started to set in the distance, and a slight evening breeze stood her many exposed pores on end. But no matter how cold she was, all her body could focus on was Mirajane.

The smile her lie had brought to the girls face, that image wouldn't be leaving her mind anytime soon. She'd have to think of a way to make up for tricking her, maybe bring her back a souvenir from Soveria?.

"Hey Lucy, you alright?."

Natsu's voice brought her thoughts back into the present. The man had been sitting silently beside her until this point, a simple travel bag slung over his shoulder. They'd known each other for so long, she couldn't even think about hiding her true emotions.

"Do you think Mirajane will be mad?" she asked, pulling her legs up to her chest. "I've never lied to anyone in the guild like that before, I hope she can still trust me."

A short silence followed before Natsu answered her, a loud fit of laughter his chosen response. The act turned more than a few heads walking the station, but the man didn't seem to notice. "Ha!, you're kidding right!?. That's..." the man looked down as he spoke, his facial expression instantly softening when he noticed the depressed look on her face.

When he spoke again, his voice was noticeably more serious, and his gaze was kept straight ahead. "Mirajane isn't the type to hold a grudge, you know that. Don't let it bother you, we'll make it up to her somehow."

"I can't believe Lucy's plan actually worked" Happy said from his spot between the two.

Despite the hollow feeling still plaguing her chest, Lucy couldn't help but chuckle. "Your faith in me is so reassuring Happy. Honestly though, I knew Mirajane would believe me."

"Really, why's that?" Natsu asked earnestly.

Looking upwards, Lucy used the light of the sunset to block the blush on her face. The whistle of their train was sounding in the distance, so she kept her explanation short. "A while ago, when you wanted to use Virgo to dig up those pictures, Mirajane had me convinced you were in love with me."

Happy burst into laughter at her comment, once again drawing attention to their bench, but Natsu simply nodded his understanding as he stood up. "Oh, so that's why you were acting so weird."

Their train pulled into the station with a long screech, forcing both Lucy and Happy (who had barely pulled himself together) to their feet alongside Natsu. Allowing the man to lead the way into the trains first car, Lucy's solid frown was finally replaced with a thin smile. "That was so long ago now, I thought for sure you'd forgot about it."

"No way" Natsu said, a tad defensively. A short walk into the train, and the man sat down in the first row of empty seats he could find, waiting until his friends had done the same before he spoke again. "I knew something was wrong, especially when you showed up at the tree in that black dress. It just seemed kinda random, ya know."

Their was no hiding her blush now, so Lucy simply switched her gaze out the window. "You...you remembered what I was wearing. Ya know Natsu, sometimes you...". A sickening sound cut her sentence short, she didn't need to look to know Natsu was now out of commission beside her.

"What were you going to say?" Happy asked as the train started to move.

Lucy looked back and forth between the curiosity-filled cat and Natsu's nearly unconscious form. "It's not important" she said simply after a short silence. Happy shrugged the conversation away, too busy airing off his sick friend to pry any further.

A short sigh, and Lucy looked back out the window. An endless sea of trees was just visible through the darkness, shining only because of the star filled sky that formed from above. It was a beautiful sight, yet her mind still refused to focus on it entirely. Mirajane had finally left her thoughts, she had Natsu to thank for that, but something still felt...wrong.

When the feeling refused to leave her, she found herself studying their job request relentlessly. Upon a closer inspection, the lack of information was enough to send a cold chill down her spine. Only the towns name, Soveria, was given. That left the requests source, exact location, and even the job itself up to question.

"Happy" she said to gain the cats attention, "when we get to Soveria, keep your eyes pealed okay."

Half asleep himself, Happy pulled himself off of Natsu's head as he spoke. "Peal my eyes, that sounds painful."

"It means to look out for anything suspicious" Lucy said, a tad annoyed at the cat's simple minded way of thinking. "I've never seen a job request leave out this much information before. With how much whoever made the request is willing to pay, you'd think they'd want the wizards to know what they're doing beforehand."

Light snoring was the only response she received. Both Happy and Natsu had fallen asleep beside her, the latter using her shoulder to rest his head. Knowing Soveria was still a good hour or two away, Lucy pulled a small blanket from Natsu's bag, covering all three of them before she too closed her eyes, just for a minute.


	2. The Mayor's Aids

**Episode 2: The Mayor's Aids **

_**Soveria- a large town, both in population and actual size. Soveria is widely known for its vast accumulation of wizards. Since the towns founding hundreds of years ago, wizards far and wide have been strangely drawn to settle down in its midst. To this day, over sixty-percent of its citizens practice at least a basic form of magic.**_

When the sound of footsteps caused her eyes to reopen, Lucy shook herself awake and stood to her feet. The view outside had come to a stop, telling her the train had as well. As people exited all around her, she yawned loudly and shook her friends awake. "Wake up you two, we're here."

The two opened their eyes simultaneously. Happy seemed reluctant to stay awake, but he wasn't given much of a choice once Natsu noticed the train had stopped. Eager to be on his feet and moving, the man picked up Happy and all but darted out of the train, leaving Lucy to grab their belongings and follow best she could. She finally caught up just outside the stations exit, where her friends had stopped dead in their tracks.

Before she could question why they'd stopped, Lucy felt the air stolen from her lungs.

The entire town of Soveria was situated in the clearing below them, nothing more than a giant mass of light, shining defiantly in the night sky. An octagon shaped town, Soveria's tall picturesque buildings and wide set streets (designed so that several magic-mobiles could travel them at once) were the very definition of intimidating. So much so that, just for a second, Lucy's legs refused to move.

"Its definitely not Magnolia" she said, talking more to herself than either of her friends. "It'll be next to impossible to find out who ordered our job in a town this big."

"Then I guess we better get started." Looking back to her with a grin, Natsu waved for her to follow as he took off towards town. "Last one to touch the street has to tell Erza what we did!."

Needless to say, Lucy and Happy gave all they had on the run into town. However, given his slight advantage of wings, Happy easily beat the flightless teenage girl. Last to reach the towns outskirts, Lucy took a minute to catch her breath, already utilizing all her brain power into thinking up her explanation to Erza.

"Man, I'd hate to be you right now" Natsu said casually, crossing his arms behind his head. "So what now?. The job request didn't even have an address, should we just start asking around?."

While running a hand through her hair, Lucy looked at the street ahead. Completely empty. Even with the streetlights illuminating it, not a single person was visible along the stone walkway. "I don't think we'll have any luck this late at night, it'd probably be better to start searching tomorrow."

"I picked up a map back at the train station" Happy added, already pulling the folded up parchment from his knapsack. "There's a hotel just down the road, I'll fly ahead and get us a room."

As Happy took off, disappearing into the horizon, Lucy and Natsu followed at a leisurely pace. The wind had only gotten colder with time, causing Lucy to grasp at her own arms in a vain attempt to warm her body. Apparently seeing this, Natsu produced a small flame, holding it in the space between them as they continued down the street. They approached the hotels entrance a minute later.

Natsu's flame went out on their way through the door, just as Happy flew over from the front desk. The cat handed a single key to Lucy, "I hope we find this job soon, this room wiped out what little jewels we had left."

"We'll figure something out" Natsu said with a grin, leading the way towards an elevator across the room. "The request said it was an emergency, it shouldn't be that hard to find out who sent it."

All three stepped inside the elevator, wherein Happy pushed the button for the top floor. The second the doors closed in front of her, Lucy felt a cold shiver travel the length of her body. "You don't think this job will be too dangerous with just the three of us?."

Natsu didn't answer until the doors reopened (no doubt fighting back his motion sickness). "Are you kidding?. We're two of Fairy Tails strongest wizards, we'll handle this job no problem."

"Even when it's just us, I'm still not counted" Happy said gloomily, flying in a slouched over position down the hallway.

Laughing off the cats comment, Lucy stopped halfway down the hall and opened the door to their room. The room was larger than she'd expected. Two regular sized beds lined the back wall, while a sofa, small fridge, and the entrance to what she assumed was a bathroom took up the remaining space. On her way inside the room, she also noticed a sliding glass door along the left hand wall, which lead outside to a small verandah.

"No wonder this place ran us out of jewels" she said while running her fingers across the beds soft blanket. "At least we can get a good nights sleep."

Turning around to find Natsu and Happy already a snoring bump under their beds blanket, Lucy switched off the lights and prepared for bed herself. After a warm shower, she threw her clothes into a pile on the floor, climbing into bed with a long yawn.

* * *

Lucy awoke to a bright ray of sunlight hitting her face, already smiling as the warm sensation snaked its way through her body. She kicked the blanket to her feet and sat up on the bed, finding (as she knew she would), that Virgo had left a fresh pair of clothes by her bedside. Once fully dressed, she walked out onto the verandah. She'd gotten up fairly early, it wouldn't hurt to let Natsu and Happy sleep a little longer.

As it had the night before, Soveria's landscape stole the air from her lungs.

However, seeing it during a lively time of day, it was an entirely different experience. A number of magical vehicles navigated the city streets, confining the on foot populace to the cement paved sidewalks. Even from her elevated viewpoint, she could also sense an overwhelming amount of magical energy. It wasn't really surprising, especially given Soveria's reputation, but still took some getting used to.

When a loud moan caught her attention, she headed back inside the hotel room. Natsu, in nothing save a pair of boxers and his scarf, sat up and rubbed at his eyes, unknowingly knocking Happy to the floor. An embarrassed blush on her face, Lucy averted her gaze from the shirtless man. "This is early for you" she said during a walk across the room, "hurry up and get dressed, I was thinking if we...huh?."

Instantly awake at the last of the girls comment, Natsu stood to his feet. "What is it?."

Bending down by the door, Lucy picked up a small piece of parchment off the floor. "It looks like a letter, someone must of slipped it under the door while we were sleeping." Without looking at what it said, she couldn't help but grin. "So cute, some guy probably saw me in the lobby and was too shy to say hello. Rendered speechless by my beauty no doubt."

"What's it like in your imagination Lucy?" Happy asked sarcastically, flying over to look at the note himself, "it sounds like a fun place."

As Lucy turned to yell her reply, Natsu walked forward and yanked the letter from her hands, ripping it open in the process. "Fairy Tail wizards" he read aloud, capturing both his friends attention. "Thank you for accepting my request. A magic-mobile will be waiting outside, I look forward to your co...coop...".

"Cooperation" Happy finished for him.

"I know what it says!."

Now leaning her head over Natsu's shoulder, Lucy raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Well, that makes things a lot easier. I guess someone must of seen us get off the train."

"There really is someone waiting out front!" Happy yelled, having flown outside the verandah to look down at the hotels entrance.

Walking back to his bed, Natsu quickly got dressed as Lucy strapped her whip to her waist. Once they were both ready, Lucy led the way out of the room and into the elevator. The lobby was far more crowded than it'd been the night before, several groups of people were either standing around or headed towards the exit themselves. It was one of the latter that the three wizards followed outside, stepping slowly into the sunlight so that their eyes could adjust.

Like the note and Happy suggested, a pitch black magic-mobile was sitting idle along the sidewalks edge. A single man sat at the drivers seat, whistling to himself as he stared blindly into the sky.

"Excuse me" Lucy said as she approached the vehicle, "are you the one who slipped the note under our door?."

The man, rather young looking in age, glanced in her direction before answering. "That depends ma'am, you two the Fairy Tail wizards staying here?."

In response, Lucy held up her hand, while Natsu simply turned to the side. The young driver nodded and promptly hopped off his seat, opening the door into the vehicles passenger seats. "Go ahead and make yourselves comfortable."

Sharing a confused look, the three wizards climbed into the vehicle one at a time. A few seconds after all three were settled, the driver retook his seat. The vehicle started down the road at a steady pace, joining the flow of traffic as Lucy pulled the job request from Happy's knapsack. "Sir" she said while leaning forward in her seat, "were you the one who sent out this request?."

Able to hear thanks to the lowered window between them, the driver shook his head in reply. "No ma'am, I'm just a driver. One who was specifically told not to...uh, ma'am...I think somethings wrong with your friend."

This time it was Lucy's turn not to look, she knew full well Natsu's was purple-faced beside her. "He gets motion sickness" she explained calmly, "can you at least tell us where we're going?."

"That I can ma'am, you're on your way to meet the Mayor of Soveria himself."

"The Mayor?" Natsu asked while gagging, "wonder if he's...ugh...the one who sent the request?."

The driver remained silent, busy navigating their vehicle in and out of traffic. But the second he'd said it, Lucy knew Natsu was on to something. If the Mayor, or someone close to him, was the one who'd sent out the request to Fairy Tail, it would certainly explain all the secrecy. Even so, it was clear the driver wasn't going to talk, she'd just have to be patient.

Her gaze switched out the side window, Lucy tried to get a layout of the town in her mind. It wasn't hard, given that they crossed easily half of it on route to their destination. During the trip, she made knot of several churches, a large market district, and even larger park in the towns center, complete with a circular pond of sparkling blue water.

Along with all that, dozens of magic shops were also scattered throughout town. The more she looked at it, Soveria seemed to be the perfect place for a wizard to call home.

A sudden lurch forward brought her thoughts to a stop, along with the vehicle. The driver then opened the door to her right, helping her in the step down as Natsu slowly forced himself to follow.

"This is where we part ways" the driver said once all three wizards stepped onto the sidewalk, "I was told that guild mark of yours will get you passed the front gate. Best of luck to ya." With that, the driver hopped back onto his vehicle, a single wave goodbye as he once again mixed into the flow of traffic.

Turning away from the road, the three wizards were met with a towering metal gate. Like the driver had said, a flash of their guild marks easily convinced the guards to let them by. On the gates other side, a short paved walkway led to what resembled a castle more than someones home. With shining white walls, twin spires sprouting from the roof, and a front door that made the gate look like a mouse-hole, the building practically screamed elegance.

"Wow!" Lucy exclaimed, "this place sorta reminds me of home."

Now a step away from the door, Natsu crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Well I don't like it" he said in a grouchy tone, "something about this place doesn't smell right."

"Oh, quit being a downer" Lucy shot back while lightly tapping on the door. A few seconds of silence followed before one side of the large doors swung open. The older man who greeted them, obviously a butler, was dressed in a clean pressed suit and tie. Offering a short bow, the butler turned on his heel and gestured for them to follow.

Inside, the butler silently led the way through a variable maze of marble floored hallways and staircases. It wasn't until reaching an otherwise inconspicuous door, that the butler stooped, announcing his departure with yet another bow.

Once the man was no longer within earshot, Happy cast a suspicious glance at the door. "I guess this is the Mayors office, are we just supposed to walk in?."

Rather than answer, Lucy took it upon herself to knock on the door.

"Come in" a muffled voice answered from the other side.

The room they entered was pretty much what Lucy imagined a Mayors office would look like. An entire wall of books along the back wall, a large rectangular desk in the rooms middle, and two seats opposite that Natsu and herself filled, before looking to the man behind the desk. He, at least, was nothing like she'd imagined.

Clearly no older than forty, the mans distinguished facial features and slightly muscular frame looked right at home in his dark gray suit, which perfectly matched the shoulder-length hair falling from his head.

A shiny golden cane in hand, the Mayor stood to his feet as they entered. "Ah, Lucy Heartfilia and Natsu Dragneel" he said in a voice overflowing with political suave, "so it was you two who answered my request...interesting"."

"Hey!, I'm here too ya know!" Happy scolded loudly, landing on the corner of the Mayor's desk.

With a hearty laugh, the Mayor playfully patted Happy's head. "Ha. Yes of course Happy, I'd never forget Fairy Tails little mascot." Using his cane to stand, the flashily-dressed man wore a wide smile during his walk across the room. Lucy tried to ignore the noticeable limp with which the man walked, even giving Natsu a swift kick when started to stare.

The Mayor (unflinching at Natsu's cry of pain) smiled to his reflection once he reached the window. "It does my heart good to see that it was you lot who answered my request."

No longer able to hold her tongue, Lucy asked the obvious. "You know who we are?."

Turning back to face them, the Mayor answered with a firm nod. "Very much so. I know you haven't been in Soveria long, you have yet to see just how big the Fairy Tail guild is in this town."

"This is a town of wizards right?" Natsu said while rubbing at his leg, "seems weird they'd idolize an outside guild. It can't make the local guilds feel very important."

Before the Mayor could open his mouth to reply, Lucy did so for her. "Actually Natsu, Soveria doesn't have any local guilds. Most of the wizards here only know basic forms of magic, they wouldn't be strong enough to function in a proper guild."

"Really, that's interesting." From his expression, it was clear Natsu had tuned out a great deal of the explanation, but another kick swept the look or boredom off his face.

"I feel we've gotten off track" the Mayor said, now sitting back down at his desk. "Forgive me, I was so star struck I forgot to properly introduce myself. My name is Francis Gurian, the Mayor of Soveria, and it was my request that you accepted."

Lucy held her breath for a few seconds, certain either of her friends were going to laugh at the mans name. However, while Happy simply looked on in silence, Natsu smashed his fists together with a wide grin. "Finally!. Tell me there's some big monster you need taken care of!."

Another almost childish laugh, and Gurian waved away Natsu's comment. "Oh no, nothing like that...at least I hope not. But it is a very important job, one that may very well affect the life of every wizard in Soveria."

Although he was overcome with depression at first, Natsu quickly pulled himself back together and leaned forward in his chair, an act that was in perfect unison with Lucy.

"You two...er, three..." Gurian said with another pat on Happy's head, oddly comforting the cat into a sound silence. "May very well end up saving this town."

Both on the very edge of their seats, Lucy and Natsu waited anxiously for the man to continue. Gurian suddenly stopped petting Happy, gaining the undivided attention of all three wizards as he interlocked his fingers in front of him. "Something in Soveria is stealing my citizens magical power. I need you three to figure out what's causing this, and put a stop to it."


	3. The Man With No Soul

**Episode 3: The Man With No Soul**

Sunlight poured into Gurian's office through the open window,warming all three Fairy Tail wizards during the long silence that resulted from the Mayor's words. Two hands firmly gripping his chair, Natsu chose to speak up for the group. "What do you mean stealing magical power?" the man asked skeptically, "magic power is inside of you, it's not something that can be stolen."

"Stealing a wizards magic" Lucy said alongside a cold chill, "it'd be like stealing someone's soul, its just...unnatural."

"Aye" Happy added, shaking a bit himself.

Another painfully long silence followed. During which, Natsu and Gurian locked eyes. The two men sat motionless for several minutes, Natsu's slanted gaze peering deep into the unreadable look on Gurian's face. It wasn't long before Lucy felt rather uncomfortable in the situation, crossing her legs and doing her best to keep her gaze aimed solely on the floor.

It was a vain effort in the end, as Gurian's eyes never once drifted away from Natsu's stare. Over time, even Happy backed away, retreating onto Lucy's lap as the tension neared its breaking point.

"We'll do it!." Nearly scaring both his friends to death, Natsu jumped up and stretched his arm across the table. "If you're sure this is really happening, you have my promise that we'll put a stop to it."

Gurian released a rather large intake of air, shaking Natsu's hand as his expression visibly softened. "I knew I could count on Fairy Tail." When their handshake was over, the Mayor slid a thin folder across his desk. "This is everything we know about the phenomenon, hopefully it'll help in your quest."

"I'm sure it will" Lucy took the folder with a smile, "and don't worry Mr. Gurian, we'll find out what's happening to your town."

Back on his feet, Gurian used his cane heavily on his walk around the desk. "I know you will my dear, but enough of that stressful talk for now". Patting Happy's head on his way passed, the Mayor opened the door to his office. "May I ask, where was it you three were staying again?."

"A hotel near the train station" Happy answered, holding onto Lucy's shoulder as she stood to her feet. "I can't remember the name, it was something like 'Solomon' or 'Salmon'.

Rubbing thoughtfully at his chin, Gurian nodded his head slowly. "Sounds like the Sarion. A place like that simply won't do for wizards of your caliber. You're staying here, and I won't take no for an answer."

Although said with a lighthearted tone, Lucy switched her gaze to Natsu at the Mayor's comment. Getting a simple shrug from the pink-haired man, she repeated the gesture herself. "We'd love to" she said, a tad reluctantly. "But...uh...we left all our stuff back at the hotel."

Already on his way out the door, Gurian waved a dismissive hand over his shoulder. "I'll send someone to gather your belongings. Now come with me, I'll show you to your room."

Lucy was still reluctant to accept the offer, but when both Natsu and Happy started out the door, she had no choice but to follow. Gurian began to speak as he led them down the castles halls, going off about the buildings history (and the history of Soveria itself). But the second Lucy glanced out a passing window, she didn't hear a word of it.

"Uh Mr. Gurian" she managed lightly, "who are all those men?."

Backtracking a few steps, Gurian walked up beside her, placing a firm hand on her shoulder in the process. "Oh, that's the bulk of Soveria's police force" the man answered, waiting for Natsu and Happy to wander over before continuing. "They're actual station is a few blocks away, but I let them train here in-between shifts."

A large courtyard could be seen through the window, located directly behind the castle, and surrounded by thick stone walls. A large number of soldiers were situated throughout the courtyard, all dressed in the same mix of light black and yellow armor. Whether engaging in one-on-one combat via a sword and shield, or target practice with a bow and arrow, every last soldier looked to be very well trained, and in peak physical condition.

"That's a lot of soldiers just to protect the town" Natsu said while peeking over Lucy's shoulder, seemingly unimpressed by the sight before him. "Is this place really that dangerous?."

To Lucy's surprise, Gurian didn't seem to take offense at the question. Instead, he let out a light chuckle, removing his hand from Lucy's shoulder as he stepped back from the window. "Now now, remember that we are a town of mages young man. Along with magic, a mage also needs the knowledge to use it responsibly . As much as I love them, my citizens tend to forget that from time to time."

The last of the Mayors words sent a cold chill down Lucy's spine, but she quickly shook it off before anyone could notice. When Gurian started back down the hall, all three wizards ran to catch up with him. After walking in silence for several minutes, Lucy found the Mayors limp to be more and more eye-catching. The farther they walked, the more the otherwise shapely man relied on his cane for support. Even so, she'd never be so cruel as to call attention to it.

"Hey man, what's up with the limp?" Natsu asked, his tone the definition of casual.

Lucy held her breath as Gurian stopped in his tracks, standing in silence for an uncomfortable amount of time. Even Happy knew enough to hide behind Lucy's back, but the built up tension instantly lifted when Gurian slapped Natsu playfully on the back. "Oh, that's a long story my boy. If your profile in 'Sorcerer weekly' is any indication, I'd only bore you with the explanation."

"You know a lot about Fairy Tail" Happy said, under Lucy's whispered instructions to change the subject.

Back on the move, Gurian turned a sudden left in the hall, leading the group up a twisting set of steps as he spoke. "That I do Happy. I suppose I have my daughter to thank for that. The girls been obsessed with your guild ever since I took her to the Harvest festival a few years back." The staircase led to a single door, which in turn led to a medium sized room.

Furnished with one queen sized bed, an old fashioned fireplace, and soft velvet carpet, the room looked somewhat out of place surrounded by the castles cold stone walls. Gurian stepped to the side once inside, allowing the three wizards passed.

After a quick look around, Natsu walked across the room, where a small balcony looked out over the castles front lawn. "Hey Lucy, check this out. We're in one of the spires."

"Really, that's cool" Lucy said, her tone making it clear her attention was elsewhere.

Apparently reading the girls expression, Gurian took a few steps farther into the room. "Oh, I'm sorry dear, I shouldn't have assumed. Will you be needing separate beds?."

The question caught Natsu's ear, turning him around with a careful look at the bed. Meanwhile, Lucy slowly considered the Mayor's offer. "I guess we could sleep head to toe" she said, thinking aloud, "but, still...". When Happy landed on the side of the bed, Lucy's suspicions were confirmed.

"Natsu don't!."

Her warning came too late, as Natsu was already mid leap onto the bed. It took him a minute to realize it, but once his body began to swivel side to side, his reaction was one of instant unease. "Your kidding" he said while holding back vomit, "what kind of evil bed is this?."

"Its a water bed!" Happy yelled excitedly, jumping back and forth as the bed stirred under his weight. "Oh come on Natsu, this obviously isn't transportation."

While Lucy tried desperately to hold back her laughter, Gurian walked around the bed, lifting Natsu to his feet with a sizable grunt. "Natsu Dragneel's one weakness: a severe case of motion sickness. I apologize my boy, I'll have a spare bed sent up immediately."

"Thank you" Natsu said while pulling himself together.

When Natsu was back on his feet, Gurian made his way to the door. With one foot outside the room, he turned back around one last time. "I'll be in my office if you have need of me. I wish you luck Fairy Tail wizards, you're doing this town a greater service than you could possibly imagine."

* * *

The next few hours went by in a sound silence, that is, if Natsu and Happy's constant complaining didn't count as noise. Both had agreed with Lucy's idea to go over the folder Gurian had given them, but that didn't stop them from griping about it only a few minutes in. Eventually, both bored wizards ended up on the floor, staring aimlessly towards the ceiling as time slowed to a crawl.

Not surprised in the least by her friends actions, Lucy simply tuned them out. Meanwhile, Plue and herself focused on looking over the mix of documents (one more so than the other). Unfortunately, most of the information in said documents was common sense. About a month ago, every hospital in Soveria started to get a sudden increase in patients, all with the same problem.

It was described several different ways: a lack of ambition, severe depression, even a few cases of mental instability, but every tested subject came back with the same results. Even in the more powerful of the towns wizards, something was slowly draining the amount of magical energy from Soveria's citizens.

When Plue started to shake in her lap, Lucy held the small spirit closer against her waist. Truth be told, her reaction wasn't much better. The very idea of losing her magic shook the teenage girl to her core. She couldn't imagine what it would feel like, and with every word she read, she lost the want to try.

From his spot on the floor, Natsu cast a confused glance in the girls direction. "Hey Lucy, you alright?."

With the aid of Natsu's voice, Lucy shook such thoughts away. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just tired I guess". Oddly enough, her lie seemed to work.

Nodding his understanding, Natsu slowly got to his feet, cracking his back as he did so. "Alright, so are you about done?. This is getting boring, and we still have an entire town to explore."

"Yeah yeah, just give me a second" Lucy answered with a dismissive wave, her eyes still grazing over the documents spread around on the bed. "Ya know, if you'd help me we could've...".

The sudden silence caught her friends off guard, turning their gaze in her direction as she gazed intently at the document in her hands. Before she had the time to react, Happy landed on her head with a soft thump, while Natsu leaned in close from beside the bed.

"What is it Lucy?" Happy asked, "your face has that weird serious look."

Lucy opened her mouth to answer, but found her throat too dry to accomplish the task. She was used to Happy occasionally hitching a ride, but having Natsu so close was always a strange experience. The mans body seemed to radiate heat, which both surrounded and enveloped the air around her. The end result: a warmth that, no matter how many times she felt it, took her completely off guard.

Thankfully, no one noticed her momentary lack of composure. A few deep breaths to calm herself, and she was once again able to speak clearly. "This, uh...right here" after a cough to clear her throat, Lucy summed up the document the best she could, (knowing full well verbatim would just put her friends to sleep). "Those soldiers in the courtyard, Gurian sent them to question a few of the affected wizards while they were in the hospital."

"Those guys we saw training" Natsu said in a semi-serious tone, "does it say what they found out?."

Just to be sure, Lucy looked over the document once more. "No, but their still might be a few of them in the courtyard. I'm sure Gurian won't mind if we ask them a few questions."

Standing back to his full height, Natsu made no attempt to hide the relieved tone of his voice. "Finally!, lets get going!."

When both her friends left to take off down the stairs, Lucy took her time in catching up. Organizing the mix of documents, dousing the fireplace, and slowly closing the door behind her, it was all done in the name of buying time. Something wasn't right, no matter how many breaths she would take, her heartbeat refused to settle. If that wasn't enough to put her on edge, her throat had once again dried, and a faint blush overtook her cheeks.

'What the heck is wrong with me?' she asked herself, holding Plue tight against her chest. 'I have to stay focused, this job is too important for me to be freaking out for no reason'.

She wandered the castles halls for several minutes before meeting up with her friends. Apparently finally aware that they didn't know which way to go, Natsu and Happy were waiting by a four-way split in the hall. By that time, Lucy's body was somewhat back to normal, but she still avoided Natsu's gaze as she approached.

"The courtyards out back" she said while walking quickly passed her friends. "This place is pretty simple once you get the layout, I think I know the way." Now leading the way, Lucy sensed Natsu and Happy fall in line beside her. She knew it wouldn't be long before one of them spoke up.

"Your face is really red Lucy" Happy said innocently as he flew to the girls side, "are you sure you're feeling okay?."

Refusing to meet the cats eyes, Lucy shrugged the comment away. "I think I just need some fresh air, I'll be fine once we get outside." Even as she said it, Lucy spotted a promising door at the end of the hallway. 'Finally' she thought, 'whatever this is, maybe it'll stop when I have something else to focus on.'

A few steps ahead of her friends, Lucy pushed open the double doors ahead of her. The same courtyard they'd seen earlier entered the vision of all three wizards, although it was far more deserted this time around, with only a handful of soldiers still present. No doubt finished with their days training, most of the soldiers were now simply standing around the courtyard, either resting, or talking to their fellow comrades. After a quick look around, Lucy locked eyes with a curious group of soldiers standing along the courtyards side wall.

Each soldier removed their helmet as she approached them, revealing the faces of two men and one woman, all three fairly young. Letting a pleasant smile spread on her lips, Lucy walked up to the soldiers and bowed respectfully. "Excuse me, we're looking for a certain soldier. One Mayor Gurian may have sent on a 'special assignment' a while back."

"There's no need to beat around the bush sweetie" one of the male soldiers stated frankly, "Gurian doesn't believe in keeping us in the dark."

When the comment received only a blank stare from all three wizards, the female soldier chose to speak up. "What he's trying to say is, we all know about the request Gurian sent to your guild."

"So do you know which soldier he sent to the hospital?" Natsu asked, his tone a tad impatient.

The three soldiers shared a short look with one another, after which the two male soldiers walked away, leaving only the female, who leaned in closer to the conversation. "Your lookin' at her, but listen kids, I really think you two should reconsider accepting this job. Being a wizard in Soveria right now is nothing short of a death sentence, if you two were smart you'd leave this city while you can still stand."

The seriousness of the woman's words, along with the worrisome look in her eyes, caused Lucy's pores to stand on end. But the moment she looked to her friends, she knew the answer she had to give. "I'm sorry" she said sincerely, "but we've already accepted the job, backing out now would disgrace the Fairy Tail guilds name."

After a short silence, the female soldier let out a deep sigh. "Alright, but don't say I didn't warn you. Look, me telling you what happened at the hospital would only waste your time. If you're really set on doing this, then I think it might be better to see for yourselves exactly what you're up against."

* * *

_**Soveria Medical Center: Soveria's largest and most expensive infirmary, this several story building is home to some of the brightest medical minds in all of Fiore.**_

Her skin crawling more and more with every step, Lucy reluctantly led the way through the hospitals entrance. An oval shaped desk took up the majority of the lobby, and served as the teams destination as they walked further in.

"Excuse me" Lucy said to a nurse behind the desk, "could you tell us where...". After glancing at the note she'd been given by the female soldier, she turned her attention back to the nurse. "Mars Turner is being kept?, we'd like to see him if that's possible."

Following the nurses directions, Lucy walked down the first brightly lit hallway, stopping only when the elevator at the halls end refused to open. During the wait the ensued, Natsu finally broke the silence between them, which had been going ever since they left Gurian's estate. "You've been pretty quiet lately, you sure everything's alright?."

When the elevator doors opened in front of her, Lucy stepped inside, but even when they started their trip upward, Natsu's determined stare made it clear he wasn't going to drop the subject. "I hate hospitals" she answered truthfully, "I just want to talk with this Mars guy and get out of here as quickly as possible".

Seemingly satisfied by her answer, Natsu took his gaze off of her and turned instead to the cat flying beside him. Whatever conversation the two had, Lucy blocked out entirely, her mind lost in thought as she watched the lights above her slowly switch from floor to floor. What she told her friend was the truth, hospitals really did cause her to become a bit unstable. After losing both her parents, being in a place where death was literally around every corner, it was almost too much for her to handle.

However, even if she didn't quite understand it herself, she knew there was more to her unease than that. The strange sensation from before had settled down over time, but it still refused to leave her body entirely. Now taking the form of a tight knot in her stomach, it was equally annoying, painful, and strangely...enjoyable.

Snapping her back into reality, the elevator opened to reveal yet another hallway, this one far more active than the lobbies. Several doctors scrambled in and out of the many rooms, their pace indicating just how dire some of the patients situations were. The incessant beeping of machines could also be heard throughout the hall, filling Lucy's ears as she inched her way out of the elevator.

Thanks in part to her reluctance to move forward, Natsu ended up leading the way down the hall, but even his pace was noticeably slower. According to the nurse at the front desk, visiting hours weren't over for another half hour, so none of the hospitals staff stopped to ask what they were doing. Only a quarter of the way down the hall, Natsu recognized the number given to them over a door to his right.

"That's it right?" the man asked while stopping in his tracks, "we'll do this fast, okay Lucy."

Busy rubbing at the goosebumps overtaking her arms, Lucy nodded weakly, her eyes aimed at the floor. When they walked through the door into the patients room, she forced her gaze upward. The man in the rooms bed looked to be in somewhat good health, with a decent complexion, muscular frame, and lively (if slightly confused) looked in his eyes. The sight gave her the strength to walk across the room, providing a half forced smile while Natsu moved to the mans side.

"You look better than I thought you would" Natsu said, his way of an introduction, "the way that woman talked, this isn't even close to what I expected."

Running a hand through his short black hair, the man in the bed replied just how Lucy thought he would. "Uh...sorry kid, but do I know you?."

Before Natsu could answer, Lucy stepped up beside him. "I'm sorry about that Mr. Turner. My name is Lucy, and these are my friends, Natsu and Happy."

When a flying blue cat landed by his feet, the man in the bed offered all three of them a solid grin. "Alright then, you seem to know it already but my name is Mars Turner. So why are two teenagers and a cat visiting a man they've never met in the hospital."

Even the mans voice was strong, lightening the mood even further, and allowing Lucy to relax in the process. "We're mages" she answered proudly, flashing the back of her hand. "We're trying to figure out what's stealing magical power from people like you. If you don't mind, could we ask you a few questions Mr. Turner?."

"Of course" the man said, "and please, call me Mars."

"So your magic is really gone?" Natsu asked skeptically, getting straight to the point.

Drooping his head for a moment, Mars lifted his hand for both of them to see. "It's weird. A week ago, I probably could've run laps around this hospital." While he talked, the man looked longingly at his palm, as if he was waiting for something to pop out of thin air. "Now, I don't even have the energy to stand, let alone cast a spell."

"I'm so sorry" Lucy said, her heart sinking from the look on the mans face. "If it's not too much to ask, do you remember how it happened?."

For a moment, she wasn't sure if the man had even heard her, but after a lengthy silence, he put his hand down and started to talk again. "I'm sorry" he said solemnly, slowly meeting all three sets of eyes. "One night I went to bed completely fine, and woke up the next day the soulless man you see before you. Some requip mage I am, can't even summon a damn dagger."

Lucy reached forward without thinking, placing a hand on Mars's shoulder, and causing him to flinch slightly. But after locking eyes with the teenage girl, he did manage a thin smile. "It was the Mayor who hired you three wasn't it?" Mars asked, his tone answering his own question. "I told him my men would handle this, that idiot's always letting his emotions make his decisions."

"Your men?" Happy asked in a confused tone, "are you a guild master or something."

The cats comment seemed to widen the smile on Mars's lips. "Not quite. But before I ended up here, I was the highest ranking officer in Soveria's police force." Before the fact could sink in completely, the man continued to speak. "Look, I know I didn't give you much to go on, but there's something I want you to have."

When the man pointed across the room, Natsu followed the command with a quick nod, picking up a folded piece of parchment off a desk beside the door. After taking the parchment, Mars unfolded it across the bed. A map of the city filled Lucy's vision, but one far more detailed than their own. This one had the city split into five separate districts, and also mapped out the sewer system that ran through each.

At the maps center was Gurian's estate, cut off from all five districts, and one of the few parts of the map not marked with a red X. "As you can see, I did a fair amount of searching myself" Mars explained, pointing to the several marked areas on the map. "Before...this, I actually covered about half the city. I failed to find anything of interest, but I'm certain the places I checked don't hold the cause of all this."

No longer forcing her smile, Lucy took the map offered to her. "Thank you sir, we really do appreciate this." When Mars matched her smile, the teenage turned for the door. "We'll let you rest now, sorry for disturbing you."

Lucy was out the door a moment later, followed closely by Happy, but when Natsu started to follow after his friends, Mars's voice stopped him just inches from the door. "Hey kid." Turning at the mans voice, Natsu met with his determined stare. "This city is dangerous right now, you make sure to keep that girl safe."

Looking deep into Mars's eyes, Natsu's fists clenched down on the doors knob. All he could was nod on his way out the door. He found his friends waiting by the elevator doors, Happy landed on his shoulder as he approached. "I'm starting to agree with Lucy" the cat admitted solemnly, "this place really is creepy."

"At least we know why that soldier sent us here" Lucy said, flashing the folded up map in her hands. "I just can't believe that guy was the leader of the police force. He must have been a seriously powerful wizard, before his magic was stolen that is."

A quick beep sounding that the elevator had reached their floor, Lucy turned and headed inside. During the ride down, Natsu couldn't help but think about what Mars had said to him. Unfortunately, he did so while staring directly at the girl beside him.

It didn't take long for Lucy for notice the eyes on her, causing her to blush slightly and turn away from the mans gaze. "Uh...Natsu?."

When the elevators reopened at the bottom floor, Natsu finally realized what he was doing. A bit embarrassed himself, he tried his best to laugh the awkward moment away. "Sorry, we should get moving."

Raising her eyebrow at the mans strange actions, Lucy managed a small nod as she stepped out of the elevator. "Yeah. Just, no more staring okay."


	4. Lucy's Dream

**Episode 4: Lucy's Dream**

_**Magnolia- Fairy Tail Guildhall **_

A hot cup of tea in her hands, her favorite seat at the bar, and the inane chatter of her friends promptly blocked out. For Erza Scarlet, such was the start to a perfect day. However, on this particular day, even with all three necessary ingredients, something still didn't feel right. It'd been bugging her for some time now, a nagging suspicion that refused to leave her subconscious, but the reason for it (as of yet) had remained a mystery.

Shrugging it off as her mind playing tricks, the scarlet haired mage went back to her daily ritual. After a sip of tea sent a warm sensation through her body, she set the cup down and let a out a relaxing sigh. Curiosity alone sent her attention across the bar, where Mirajane's innocent stare was hidden behind a beauty magazine.

"You've been reading that magazine all morning" Erza said, her voice catching her friends attention. "You could at least sit down and read."

In response to the suggestion, Mirajane merely glanced over the top of the magazine, no doubt confirming who she was talking to before she spoke. "Huh?...oh, here you go Erza." Clearly not focused on the conversation, Mirajane blindly set a fresh slice of cake in front of the scarlet haired mage.

"Uh...are you feeling alright Mira?" Erza asked, already a few bites into the cake. "You seem a tad unfocused."

Still not responsive to her friends voice, Mirajane stepped forward, placing her magazine on the counter between them. "What do you think of this dress?."

With only a casual glance downward, Erza immediately raised her eyebrow in disgust. "A little revealing don't you think?."

"It's for Lucy" Mirajane answered matter-of-factly.

Another look down, and Erza couldn't help but grin. "In that case, I guess it could work. But why are you looking at a dress for Lucy?, it is a present or something?."

For a moment, Mirajane didn't seem to understand the question, casting a confused look across the bar. "Oh, she didn't tell you?" the girl half-asked, a wide smile spreading on her lips. "She finally got a date...and it's with Natsu!."

The guildhall went silent after Mirajane's poorly contained outburst, attracting the attention of everyone within earshot. What followed was a series of blank stares. Wendy looked to Gray, Gray looked to Juvia, Juvia looked to Lisanna, and so on, until every last member of guild had confirmed what they'd just heard. Like the silence that came before it, a mad fit of laughter broke out in perfect unison throughout the guildhall.

One of the laughter's biggest contributors, Gray held his side in mocked pain on his way across the room. "Oh man!, that was a good one Mira!" taking a seat beside Erza (one of the few not laughing), the shirtless man made no attempt to control his emotions. "Could you imagine Natsu on a date?!, I don't think he even knows how to pick up a fork!."

"It does sound a little...unlike Natsu" Wendy admitted, climbing onto the seat on Erza's opposite side. "Are you sure you didn't misunderstand Lucy Miss Mira?. Maybe she just went on a job with Natsu and Happy."

Along with the small girls words, Mirajane was met with three less than convinced stares, five when Juvia and Lisanna walked over to join their friends. Under the combined sets of eyeballs, the white haired mage visibly shrank. That is, until a violent shake of her head brought a resurgence of confidence. "No no no!, Lucy specifically told me Natsu asked her out on a date!. It was right after I showed them that new quest in Soveria."

"New quest?" Erza asked, gently pushing a bare plate across the counter. "Mira, could I see that request for a moment?."

Taken aback by her friends question, Mirajane quickly shook it off and nodded her head. "Well of course, I left it right under...".

Mira's sudden silence was all Erza needed. "Uh huh, they stole another quest" she proclaimed while standing to her feet. "Come on Gray, we should be able to catch the train if we leave now."

"Now wait a second" Mirajane said defensively, still looking around under the bar. "Maybe I just misplaced the request, give me a minute to look before you start jumping to conclusions." As if on cue, a messenger bird flew in through the guildhalls open front door. Chirping happily, the small bird dropped a single letter on the counter, only leaving once it watched Mirajane pick up its delivery.

Sharing a short look with her friends, Mirajane opened the letter and set it down for all to see. The letter cast a small projection of an older looking man, one Mira recognized as the same man who'd sent request they'd been talking about.

"That's the Mayor of Soveria" Lisanna said, sounding rather proud of herself. "Looks like Natsu and Lucy did lie to you sis, sorry."

Before Mira could open her mouth to reply, the projection promptly cut her off. "Miss Mirajane Strauss, this letter is to confirm that three of Fairy Tails mages: A Mr. Natsu Dragneel, Miss Lucy Heartfilia, and...er...Happy: have officially accepted my job request. Anyway, please note that all three have been paid in advance, per the agreement, and insure that your guild Master receives my thanks." With that, the projection offered a quick bow before disappearing completely.

No one was laughing by this point. Rather, the bulk of the guilds attention was focused solely on Mirajane, who's expression was hidden behind a wall of white hair. "Go get them."

Everyone along the bar (save Erza) inched a few steps back, but even the scarlet haired mage managed a shudder when Mira spoke again. "I said go!."

Gray and Erza were on their way with a simple nod, leaving Wendy to leap down off her seat in pursuit, as well as grab a confused Carla on her way out the door. "Wait for me guys!, I've never been to Soveria before!."

"Be careful Gray!" Juvia yelled to the half naked man, "I'll be waiting for you to return!."

"Go easy on them Erza!" Lisanna added, a wide smile on her lips.

* * *

_**Soveria- Market District**_

Walking the streets beside a giant clock turned a fair amount of heads, but Natsu could've cared less about the extra attention. After all this time, he'd gotten pretty used to Lucy's weird actions. In fact, it surprised him it'd taken the girl this long to break out the spirit, given that they'd been walking for at least an hour now.

Although, in a way, his friends laziness was a godsend right now. For one of the first times in his life, Natsu needed a little time to himself. Mars's words still refused to leave his thoughts: "This city is dangerous right now, you make sure to keep that girl safe."

A requip wizard, leader of the cities police force, and a man of such large stature. If Mars said this city was dangerous, even he knew it was smart to tread carefully, especially considering that something in this place could be draining their magic this very second. But, troubling as it was, that alone wasn't what was bothering him.

He'd known accepting such a strange request could be dangerous, hell he was hoping it would be. No, it was that Mars had specifically mentioned Lucy, that's what was keeping him from concentrating on the task at hand. Why Lucy?. In an entire city of wizards, why had Mars thought it necessary to mention her?.

Was she in some greater danger?. Maybe something about her magic that makes her a target for whatever is causing this?. Or maybe he was just being paranoid. Either way, it was clear this job was going to live up to his expectations, and then some.

"Alright, the end of this block is it for this district" Happy said, attracting Natsu's attention away from his own thoughts. "That policeman guy searched a lot of this area already, lucky he gave us his map huh Natsu?."

Before Natsu could answer, Horologium cut him off, speaking for himself rather than the girl inside him. "Beg your pardon sir, but I believe madam has fallen asleep, and my time is just about up." When Natsu stopped and gazed inside the grandfather clock, the spirit spoke up again. "Would you like me to wake her before I depart?."

"Uh...no, it's fine" Natsu answered after a moment of thought, "lend me a paw here Happy, I'll just carry her on my back till she wakes up."

Between the two of them, Happy and Natsu managed to position the girls body atop the latter's back. When Horologium waved his goodbye and disappeared from view, both wizards started down the street once more. Following Happy's guidance, Natsu sniffed his way through the remainder of the market district. Confident nothing in this area was the cause of the cities suffering, they made a beeline for the next district.

Along the way, Natsu couldn't help but notice how crowded the streets were this time of day. Crowds of varying sizes always seemed to be walking passed him, and traveling the roads was next to impossible given the sheer amount of magic-mobiles. Even so, the loss of magic power was all too evident everywhere he looked. For every group that walked by, he'd notice two or three people with the same soulless gaze as Mars, and even though several magic vehicles traveled the roads, very few of them did so at more than a snails pace.

Now that he noticed it, it was impossible to ignore, and quickened his steps all the more as he walked. Although, after remembering the teenage girl resting over his back, he forced his ambition back a few notches. After all, him getting worked up wasn't going to save this towns magic. Slowing back to a reasonable speed, Natsu ultimately came to a stop at the end of their current block.

"Looks like there's a park just down the road" Happy said, still reading the map held in front of him. "It's not checked off the map, we should probably search it while we're here."

Natsu nodded to the flying cat, and both started across the road the second traffic came to a stop. On the other side, a slight incline forced Natsu to reposition his grip on Lucy's legs. As a result, the girls hands lightly gripped the front of his shirt. "N...Natsu."

"Yeah, whats up?" Natsu asked in a low whisper, certain he'd heard Lucy say his name. When his only answer was silence, he turned his head to find the girl still fast asleep. "Huh, that was weird."

"She's still asleep Natsu" Happy stated, "she must be dreaming". Even as he said it, a sly grin began to cover the majority of the cats mouth. Speaking in an almost haunting tone, the devilish cat flew inches away from Lucy's ear. "Lucy, this is your subconscious. From this day forward, you will buy Happy a bucket of fish every time he asks for one."

Matching his friends grin, Natsu held back his laugh for fear of waking Lucy. "That's a good one Happy. Now tell her that every time Erza orders cake, she has to steal it from her and eat the whole thing in one bite."

Happy was less successful at suppressing his laugh, but all the noise garnered from Lucy was a quick moan. "N...Natsu."

"No good" Happy said, rather disappointed. "She just keeps saying your name, I bet she's yelling at you in her dream."

"Wouldn't be the first time" Natsu agreed.

After crossing the street, a small paved path led both wizards into the park. Looking around as they walked, Natsu grew to greatly appreciate the change of scenery. Given the choice, he'd take the soft sway of tree leaves over a blaring horn any day. Not only did the park create a pleasantly fresh air for the man to take in, but it also harbored far less people than the city around it.

Aside from the occasional jogger, picnicking couple, and simple pedestrian, most of the park was surprisingly empty. For that very reason, he made decent time through the large area, reaching its center in just a minute or two. A sparkling lake ahead of him, Natsu took a moment to sniff around as Happy flew up beside him.

"I don't think we're gonna find anything here Natsu" Happy said, folding up the map and placing it back in his knapsack. "Maybe we should just...".

"Wait" Natsu cut off his friend, still sniffing the air around him. Following the scent, the man found his gaze stone set across the lake, where a small building sat on a pier over the lakes edge. "Hey Happy, I think that place sells food!."

* * *

_**Magnolia- Lucy's Home**_

Happily humming to herself, Lucy walked up the steps leading to her room. Once inside, she promptly closed the door behind her and fell face first onto her bed. Smiling as the sunlight warmed her skin, she rolled onto her back and grabbed a familiar novel off the dresser.

As the minutes turned into hours, the girl lost herself in the words of her favorite author, never even noticing when the sunlight around her was replaced with moonlight. It was a soft tap that finally pried her eyes away from the book, drawing them instead to the window a few feet away.

"Come in Natsu" she said, thankful her friend at least had the manners to knock this time.

With no need to look, Lucy turned her attention back to the book. While Natsu opened the window and climbed inside, she reluctantly set the book down on her blanket. "Alright, what was so important it couldn't wait till morning?."

Obviously confused, Natsu crossed the room with a lighthearted shrug. "Nothing really, I was just walking by and noticed your light was on." Taking a seat at the edge of the bed, the mans curiosity caused him to pick up the book she'd been reading. "Should have figured you were reading, you want me to leave?."

"No, you can stay", the words came before she had a chance to stop them. Truthfully, she'd just been thinking about calling it a night, but there was something about the way Natsu was acting. The look in his eyes, the way he'd sat down by her feet on the bed, without so much as a moments hesitation. He wasn't acting like himself, and she wanted to find out why.

At least, that was the plan at first. By the time she was done thinking, and focused her mind back on her friend, she instantly felt a gallon of blood rush to her head. Natsu was now lying down directly beside her, his carefree eyes aimed at the ceiling. "N...Natsu. What are you doing?."

"What?" her friend asked innocently, "you said I could stay." Turning his head to meet her gaze, Natsu's eyes slanted in disapproval. Without a word to explain his actions, the man rolled onto his side and brought his hands behind her head. Before she could ask what he was doing, Lucy felt her hair fall free of both its binds.

Looking rather proud of himself, Natsu pulled back his hands with a wide smile. "There, you look prettier with your hair down."

"N...Natsu", unable to keep herself from blushing, Lucy turned her head to face the wall. "You're acting weird."

"What do you mean?" Natsu asked, clearly confused by her reaction. "I thought girls like it when you compliment them?."

When she heard the tone of her friends voice, Lucy immediately regretted her previous reaction. Maybe she had overreacted just a tad. This was Natsu after all, it was entirely possible he was just trying to be nice.

Swallowing her own emotions (along with a sizable lump in her throat), she turned back around. Mere inches separated her face from Natsu's, causing her heart to skip a beat as she attempted to speak. "I'm sorry, this...it just isn't like you."

From the look in his eyes, it was easy to tell that Natsu hadn't heard a word she just said. Ordinarily, she'd take this opportunity to scold the man for not listening, but this time, she had no choice but to let it slide. Before she could even open her mouth, Natsu started to lean in, clearing the space between them in the blink of an eye.

Lucy's eyes went wide the second their lips touched. More out of reflex than anything, she jerked back her head and sat up as her face turned bright red. "What are you doing?!."

"Isn't is obvious?" Natsu answered, his voice extremely calm given the situation. "Why'd you pull back?, I thought you liked me too."

Her mind going a mile a minute, Lucy tried her best to keep from freaking out. Still, she was unable to meet her friends eyes. "What...what about Lisanna?."

"You like Lisanna?."

"No!" Lucy screamed in protest, a childish giggle escaping through her confusion. "I meant...I thought you liked Lisanna."

Sitting up himself, Natsu ran a hand through his hair. "Oh" he said, his voice much more serious than before. "Yeah, people keep telling me that. Honestly though, I really don't think either of us thinks of each other that way." A hand on her chin, and Natsu slowly guided Lucy's eyes to meet his. "Lucy, why do you think I was walking by your house this late at night?. I love...".

"Hey Lucy!. Lucy!.Lucy!."

* * *

_**Soveria Center Park**_

"Lucy!, wake up already!."

Her eyes opening at Happy's ear shattering voice, Lucy's mind fought to take in her new environment. Sitting at a small round table, outside what appeared to be a lakeside cafe', surrounded by a handful of trees and several freshly cut fields of grass. The other tables around her were mostly empty, but the few that weren't seemed to be trying to ignore her presence.

"Luce" Natsu said from his seat across the table, "what are you doing?."

Now fully awake, Lucy finally realized the position she was in. Not only was she seemingly making out with the air, she also had Happy trapped in her arms, pushed him hard against her chest as the poor cat struggled for breath. Immediately releasing her grip, she let Happy fly back onto the table before turning forward in her chair. "Sorry Happy, are you okay?."

"I'll be fine" the cat answered weakly, spinning in tipsy circles all over the table. "I'm sorry I tried to brainwash you, but that's no reason to choke me to death."

"You were really going nuts there Lucy" Natsu said while simultaneously stuffing his face, "that must have been some dream you were having."

After a series of deep breaths calmed her down, Lucy was finally able to match her friends gaze. "Yeah, it really was."


	5. Team Natsu Reunited

**Episode 5: Team Natsu Reunited**

Lucy silently poked at the food Natsu had ordered for her. Not just because she honestly had no idea what it was, but because she was currently lost deep inside her own thoughts. 'This can't be happening!' she thought, hiding her panic in an emotionless gaze. 'I've never had a dream like that before!, and about Natsu of all people!?. Between this and my mini freak out earlier...is my mind torturing me for lying to Mirajane?.'

Sneaking a look across the table, she felt her heartbeat increase ten-fold. 'That has to be it, just some weird form of self repentance. I can't seriously be falling for Natsu!?.'

"Hey Lucy, do you feel okay?" Natsu asked, pushing away an embarrassing amount of bare dishes. "I mean with your magic, can you still summon your spirits?."

It hurt to meet the mans eyes, but Lucy knew not doing so would only cause suspicion. "Uh...I don't feel any different. Let me see." After pulling a single key from her belt, the girl stood to her feet. "Open!, gate of the maiden!. Virgo!."

Just as she normally would, the pink-haired maid appeared in a shower of golden light, bowing as she did so. "Princess, is there something I can help you with?."

"Uh...actually Virgo" Lucy started apologetically, "sorry if I disturbed you, I just wanted to make sure my magic was working properly."

"No reason to apologize Princess, I'll just head back and...".

"Wait!" Lucy practically screamed, turning a few heads from the table around them, while Virgo raised an eyebrow in confusion. Before any of her friends could question her, the teenage girl spoke up again. "I mean, maybe there is a way you can help" she said, while turning her attention towards Natsu and Happy. "There's four of us now, we'll cover the city in half the time if we split up."

As she finished, Lucy swallowed hard at the lump in her throat. Truthfully, she just wanted some time away from Natsu, and someone to talk with about what she was going through. For some reason though, it didn't look like Natsu took too kindly to the idea.

"I'm not sure that's a good idea" the man stated, "I've got a weird feeling about this quest Lucy, something tells me we should stick together."

A short silence followed, after which Happy was next to speak. "Actually Natsu, Lucy might actually have a point. With just you and me, we could fly around this whole city in just a few hours."

"I guess" Natsu agreed, still obviously not convinced. Standing to his feet, the man let out a short sigh. "Well, looks like you got the deciding vote Virgo. What do you think we should do?."

The question seemed to take Virgo off guard, as she shot Lucy a confused glance in response. Lucy however, wasn't surprised in the least. Natsu considered every one of her celestial spirits a member of their team, and Virgo had saved both of their lives on a few occasions. For him, it was only natural to ask for the girls opinion.

"I want whatever Princess wants" the spirit finally managed, "however, if you're worried about staying in communication, I may be able to provide a solution." Holding out her hands, Virgo brought two small golden orbs to life. The orbs quickly took a physical shape in her palms, forming into a pair of odd black devices that she handed to both wizards.

"What are these?" Lucy asked, squinting her eyes at the strange object.

In response to the question, Virgo stepped forward and grabbed the device from the girls hands. Leaned in close to her master, the spirit carefully clicked the device in place on Lucy's right ear. "There" she said rather proudly, "now you do the same Natsu. Sacrificing a small amount of magic, you two will be able to here one another from anywhere in the city."

With a quick shrug, Natsu followed Virgo's instructions. "Hey Lucy!, can you hear me!?."

"Ow!" Lucy yelped in pain, "keep your voice down Natsu!."

Mimicking his friends reaction to the letter, Natsu doubled over holding his throbbing ear. "Ouch!. Man!, take your own advice Lucy!."

This back and forth went on for several minutes, after which Virgo finally intervened by switching off both earpieces. The action caused both Lucy and Natsu to go silent, the latter looking to her spirit when she started to speak. "My apologies Princess, but there are only a few hours of sunlight left. If we're to make any progress in our search, we should probably start now."

* * *

_**Somewhere between Magnolia and Soveria**_

"Ugh. I can't believe we missed the train" Gray griped stubbornly, "if Natsu would just learn to follow the rules of the guild, I could be out making my own money." More talking to himself than his friends, the man ended his comment with a reluctant sigh. "Are we there yet Wendy?."

The dirt path ahead of them was surrounded by trees on either side, obstructing the mans view entirely. However, from their spot atop Erza's gigantic cart of luggage, he knew both Wendy and Carla had a much better view of the area.

"I think I can see a few buildings over the horizon" Wendy answered happily, swinging her feet over the carts front edge. After watching the sun slowly begin its descent, the small girl switched her attention directly below. "Miss Erza, you're not really going to hurt Natsu and Lucy are you?."

Erza kept her gaze aimed towards the path ahead, her voice the definition of calm. "Of course not Wendy. Mira will calm down over time, and technically speaking, we're at fault here too. As part of the team started by Natsu and Lucy, we should've stopped them from accepting a quest before the Master looked it over."

"If Master Makarov feels the same way, we could be in for quite the lecture" Gray added. "But if we can grab those two and hightail it back quick enough, it'll be like this whole thing never happened."

Stepping up to Wendy's side atop the cart, Carla cast a slightly annoyed glance at the darkening sky. "At this pace, we might make it into town before nightfall. I just hope Soveria isn't completely destroyed by the time we get there."

* * *

_**Soveria**_

Finally alone with her spirit, Lucy wasted no time in confessing every tiny aspect of her problem. Virgo was more than happy to listen as they walked Soveria's streets, although the spirits regular, calm demeanor made it hard to judge her reaction. So much so, that Lucy had to physically wave a hand in front of the girls face once she was done. "Virgo, did you catch all that?."

"Of course Princess" the girl answered without missing a beat, "a strange feeling when close, dreams of a perverse nature: you're developing feelings for Natsu."

A small shiver traveling down her spine, Lucy spasmodically wrapped her hands over Virgo's mouth. "Shh!" she ordered in a hushed whisper, "Natsu has really good hearing, try and keep your voice down okay."

Virgo nodded her understanding as Lucy released her grip. The road ahead looped in a circle near its end, housing several single-story homes and shops. Stopping at the first shop, both girls sat down at a small table outside the front entrance. Almost immediately, Lucy slammed her head hard onto the table.

"Help me Virgo" she said in a miserable tone, "I can't even look Natsu in the eyes without freaking out. What the hell am I supposed to do about this?." Rather than wait for an answer, Lucy buried her head into her arms. "I feel like I'm losing my mind."

"Princess" Virgo offered solemnly, "would it help if you punished me?."

Sighing loudly, Lucy rubbed her already throbbing forehead. "Ugh. No offense Virgo, but maybe I should talk to a different spirit about this."

* * *

Flying with Happy was always an experience Natsu enjoyed. Beside the obvious enjoyment of being alone with his closest friend, the fresh wind against his face, weightless feel of his body, and amazing views never ceased to amaze him. This time was no exception, Soveria was truly a sight to behold from the sky. After they finished their quest, he made a mental note to have Happy give Lucy a ride around the city.

Bobbing between buildings, over traffic, and even taking a few shortcuts between some open windows, the two wizards easily covered half the city in no time at all. Natsu kept his eyes (and his nose) at a constant watch. Nothing so far looked (or smelled) suspicions, but there was still a lot of area to cover. When the sun finally set in the horizon, Happy landed his friend softly on the nearest rooftop. Slowly, as both wizards watched in silence, the city became a sea of lights one block at a time.

Aside from the occasional horn, a dead silence was the only sound Natsu could pick up on. In fact, seeing what he did now, it was hard to believe Soveria was in any kind of turmoil, let alone something as threatening as what Gurian claimed. It was just another thing plaguing his mind about this quest, something he'd need far more time to figure out.

But, the very second a distinctive smell hit his nostrils, he knew such thoughts would have to wait.

"Uh...Natsu" Happy said nervously, "I feel strange, you don't think our magic is being stolen do you?."

Natsu shook his head in protest, already certain he knew what his friend was talking about. "No buddy, I know that smell." A shared looked between them told Happy it was time to move. As Natsu leaned forward, allowing gravity to propel him off the buildings roof, Happy's wings quickly came to life.

With one flap, the two were off, flying at a relaxed speed, several feet over the street below them. That one look, one Natsu had made more times than he could count, he knew it was all his friend needed to understand their situation. Their wasn't many people who could make him give a look of fear, but atop that short list, was Fairy Tails strongest female mage. Unfortunately, having also smelled Wendy, Natsu didn't have the luxury of running away.

Instead, he decided to face his problem head on. After all, the mindset worked out in his favor a few times in the past, why stop using it now?. Using his nostrils to lead the way, Natsu offered a guiding hand as Happy buzzed them around the lit up city streets. The only way in and out of town was passed the train station, so it wasn't hard to find his friends even before they entered Soveria.

Erza, (along with her oversized cart), was leading the group down a pitch black path just outside town, while Gray, Wendy, and Carla followed close behind. All came to a stop when Natsu and Happy appeared over the treetops. Even with the darkness between, Natsu could sense the scowl on Erza's lips. Needless to say, it caused him to swallow hard before speaking.

"I...I figured Mira would send you guys to come get us", Natsu tried his best to keep his voice strong, although he was sure some of his fear sneaked passed his teeth. "Just so you know, Lucy feels really bad about lying to her." The two landed, still clearly marked by Erza's unreadable gaze. "Whatever punishment you plan on dealing out, leave Lucy out of it. She's been through enough."

Swallowing one more newly formed lump, Natsu took a single step forward, while Happy took cover behind him. One awkward silence later, and Erza finally spoke, her tone dead serious. "Relax Natsu, I'm not going to punish you."

Ignoring the relieved look on Natsu's face, (as well as Happy's sighing 'aye'), Erza continued in her usual tone. "Mira did send us to get you, but provided Lucy is willing to apologize, I don't see a reason to drag you back kicking and screaming."

"So...can we finish the quest?" Natsu asked.

For a handful of painfully slow seconds, Erza considered the question. "...I suppose" she finally replied, "you three already accepted the job after all, it wouldn't be right to back out now."

"Alright!" Natsu and Happy yelled in unison. Once again, both made no attempt to hide the relief in their voices.

Before Erza (or anyone else) had the chance to react, Natsu pulled a map from his pocket and tossed it to the red-haired mage on his way back into the air. "We're staying at the big castle in the middle of town!" he screamed as Happy slowly carried him back towards the city. "I'll go get Lucy so we can fill you in!."

* * *

Erza watched the pink-haired boy disappear into the night sky. Afterward she turned to her remaining friends, and handed the map off to Wendy. "We should get going. If we have any chance of getting home before the Master, we'll need a decent nights sleep."

"Erza, are you sure we should be doing this?" Gray asked, obviously uneasy about questioning the woman's decision. "I mean, Mirajane was put in charge while the Master's on vacation. Aren't we going against her orders."

"I'm well aware of who the Master put in charge!" Erza shot back in a raised voice, feeling a tinge of guilt when Gray took cover behind a shaking Wendy. "Sorry. What I meant to say was, if the Master were here, I'm sure he wouldn't want Natsu and Lucy abandoning a quest for no reason. Mira will understand once we return."

"If you say so" Gray said, trying his best to regain his composure. "As long as I get a cut of the reward, I'm up for anything."

* * *

It wasn't hard to pick out Lucy's scent amongst the city or wizards. Even he knew about the recent drop in Celestial spirit mages, and all of whom he'd met had a very specific smell. Although, after realizing they were on opposite sides of the city, Natsu decided a faster solution was needed. A quick motion brought his flight to a dead stop,and, as Happy carried him to the closest rooftop, Natsu flicked on the earpiece Virgo had given him.

For a couple seconds static was his only response, but when that subsided, he could faintly make out breathing on the other end. "Hey Lu...".

"I really think you're reading too much into this." The familiar voice, one he immediately recognized as belonging to Loke, cut Natsu's sentence short. "You are a teenage girl Lucy" Loke continued, "you're bound to get a crush every once in a while, it's completely normal for someone your age."

"Natsu, what's wrong?" Happy asked, confused by the mans sudden silence.

A quick shush was his only response. He couldn't rightly explain it, but something in him wanted desperately to hear the conversation going on. If Lucy really did have a crush on somebody, maybe that would explain why she's been acting so strange, and put his fears about this town affecting her to rest.

"You really think that's all this is, just a crush?" Lucy asked, clearly unconvinced by her friends words.

"Well you're the only one who can answer that" Loke answered, his tone strangely serious. "But if you want my advice, hiding this from him is only gonna drive you insane. If this really is just a crush, then the best thing to do is be upfront about it. Tell him how you feel, you'll feel a hell of a lot better if you do."

By this point, both Natsu and Happy were listening in, both with their heads pressed painfully close to the earpiece between them. The former felt a little ashamed for eavesdropping, the latter however, his grin made his emotions pretty clear.

"I guess you're right" Lucy admitted reluctantly, "I hate the idea of talking to Natsu about this, but I can't stay focused on our quest until I get this off my chest."

"Wait...what?."

Never before had hearing his own name been enough to blur Natsu's vision. Along with the ability to see went his balance, sending him flailing helplessly off the buildings roof. And although the open dumpster in the alley below cushioned his fall considerably, it did nothing to help him overcome his confusion. He'd never misheard anything in his life, the name Lucy just said was his own.

His mind was a massive jungle of questions within mere seconds, but before he could even come up with a single answer, Happy flew down and landed square on his head. "You heard that right, she liiik...".

"Don't" Natsu said with a raised hand, "just, don't."


	6. Soveria Royal Ball

**Episode 6: Soveria Royal Ball**

In the dead of night, Soveria's streets were enough to send a violent chill down Lucy's spine. The dim streetlights of the surrounding district seemed strangely dull, especially when compared with those in the cities ritzier areas. And if that weren't enough, night had brought with it a thick level of mist, which blocked her view of anything farther than a few feet ahead.

At the very least, the mist made traveling by magic-mobile rather difficult, so Lucy was able to walk the roads rather than stick to the sidewalk. It didn't make her feel any better, but it did put some space between herself and the alleyways. The girl walked for what felt like hours, her progress slowed to a crawl as she tried to see passed her nose.

By the time her legs were begging for a rest, she was still several blocks away from Gurian's estate, a fact that made the remaining trek even more difficult. A few steps, and she had no choice but to stop and rub at her throbbing muscles. Unfortunately, she stepped onto the sidewalk in order to do so.

The second her legs stopped screaming, a rough and cold hand gripped Lucy's arm. Turning with a skipped heartbeat, her frightened look quickly changed to a surprised smile. "Gray, you scared me."

The man (clothed for a changed) matched her smile, while running an apologetic hand through his hair. "Oh, sorry" he said, exchanging his smile for a solid grin. "Natsu told me I'd find you wandering around here. Not sure why he didn't just come get you himself, but apparently we're all meeting up at the Mayor's estate."

When Lucy nodded her understanding, the two started down the sidewalk at a leisurely pace. The silence between them didn't last long, although it wasn't ended by either person speaking. The skies had been clear just a moment ago, so the harsh rain that started to pelt the city was rather unexpected. Creating puddles in mere seconds, the large droplets quickened the pace of both wizards considerably.

Longer steps or no, it was clear to both it'd still take at least a few minutes to reach the estate. When this fact sunk it, Gray placed a closed fist against his open palm, creating an umbrella of solid ice. But instead of using it cover himself, he held it to the side, ending the onslaught of rain over his friend.

"Thanks Gray" Lucy said, her smile renewed.

Gray shrugged the comment away, "don't mention it." Leading the way forward, the man raised his free hand towards the sky, closing it slowly when a small puddle formed in his palm. "I've always liked the rain."

The next corner would lead to the estate, Lucy knew that just from a quick look around, so she stopped without warning just before the turn. Gray stopped too, shooting the girl a confused look in the process. "Lucy, everything alright?."

A short silence came before her response. "Hey Gray" she started softly, "have you ever had a crush on someone you were close to, like a friend?."

Rightfully so, the man was taken aback by the seemingly random question. For a moment he said nothing, staying silent until he could no longer avoid his friends gaze. "Uh...well" he said, clearing his throat with a nervous cough. "You promise this stays between us?."

"Of course."

Gray took a deep sigh. "Alright, now keep in mind this was a long time ago. When I was younger, I guess I had a crush on Erza."

"Really?" Lucy asked, unable to hide a grin.

With a nod of his head, Gray turned the sidewalks corner, his gaze aimed at the ground while he spoke. "When she first joined the guild. I don't know, she was just so unlike all the other girls in Fairy Tail. She was undeniably tough, but also caring, fragile, and...cute."

By the time the man had finished, Lucy was showing her guild mark to the guards of Gurian's estate. When the front gate promptly closed behind them, she met Gray's eyes once more. "So what happened?. Did you tell her about how you felt?."

Judging by the look her question received, Lucy would've sworn she'd just asked her friend for the moon.

"Are you insane?" Gray asked with a raised eyebrow, "you remember who we're talking about right?."

After a moment of thought, Lucy came to a silent understanding. Hell even she'd admit to a slight fascination with Erza when they'd first met. But until you got to truly know her, she knew how intimidating the woman could be, and that was in the most basic of conversations. Speaking to Erza about something as intimate as a crush, she couldn't even imagine what that would be like.

Two hands on the front door, Lucy pushed her way into the castle's main hall. Waiting for Gray to cancel his magic and step inside, the teenage girl made a vain attempt to quell the flutter in her stomach. "So...you just kept it to yourself, and it eventually went away?."

"Pretty much" Gray answered casually, closing the door behind him. A short look at his surroundings, and the man offered an impressed whistle. "Ritzy place, this must be quite the job to have these kinds of perks." Allowing Lucy to lead by a few steps, the man fell in line through the maze of marble hallways.

"Ya know, Natsu was acting really strange when he told me to come get you" Gray said, while placing his hands inside the pockets of his jacket. "Are you two fighting or something?, he acted like the last thing he wanted to do was get you himself."

At first, Lucy merely smiled as her friend talked. But when the words finally sunk in, every last bit of color drained from her face. Stopping in her tracks, she violently yanked Virgo's earpiece from her head, confusing Gray greatly as she threw the small device to the floor. "Crap!, he knows!."

"What?" Gray asked, "who knows what Lucy?."

The question went unanswered. Lucy was already pacing back and forth the current stretch of hallway, muttering to herself in an increasingly high pitched tone. "Oh this is bad this is bad this is bad!. I was gonna tell him in private!, slowly!, carefully!. But for him to find out like this, oh god this is bad!."

"Lucy!, get a hold of yourself!" a hand on both of the girls shoulders, Gray stopped Lucy's pacing by pinning her against the wall. Ignoring the strange glances of a few passing guards, the man aimed his gaze straight into her eyes. "Calm down already, geez. Whatever happened, I'll help if I can, just tell me what the hell is going on."

Try as she might, Lucy was unable to follow Gray's instructions. Her palms were sweaty, her throat dry, and her heartbeat dangerously unstable. Telling her to calm down, now it was Gray who was asking for the moon.

Still, she forced herself to take a few extremely deep breaths. "...Okay" she finally managed, "for the past few days, I've had...a bit of a crush...on Natsu. Until now, I've been able to keep it to myself, but Virgo gave us these earpiece things to keep in touch, and I think he overheard me talking to Loke about him."

Surprisingly, Gray took in her words rather easily. "Huh, well I wasn't expecting that." His eyes slightly widened, the man let go of Lucy's shoulders, backing up a few steps to give some space between them. "I guess it explains Natsu's weird behavior, it's just like him to overreact over something like this."

"Please Gray, I need a chance to talk privately with Natsu" Lucy pleaded. "If you're here, I'm betting Erza and Wendy are too. I need you to take them somewhere, anywhere, at least for a few minutes."

Gray answered with a solid nod, and together the two continued deeper into the castle. It was only when they started to climb the stairs to their given room, that the man thought to speak up. "So...you and Natsu" he said with a small chuckle, "I don't know, I still can't see it."

When her friend cast an aimless gaze upward, Lucy stopped mid-step and crossed her arms over her chest. "You're imagining baby Happy's aren't you?."

"Yeah" Gray answered, "but I'm not sure why."

The moment managed a faint laugh from Lucy, the first she remembered having for quite a while. It was short lived however, as they quickly reached the door to their room in the next few steps. Gray paused for a moment, his hand on the doors knob, allowing Lucy a few deep breaths. A quick nod from the girl, and he turned the knob to enter.

Inside, as both had expected, all their friends were awaiting their return. Split up between the two beds that now furnished the room. On the one closest to the door, Erza sat with Wendy and Carla, all looking over the mix of documents Gurian had provided. Lying on the opposite bed was Natsu and Happy, both of whom had an emotionless and tired gaze aimed at the ceiling.

"Ah, there you two are" Erza said once Gray had shut the door behind him, "I have to say Lucy, this is a rather suspicious quest you and Natsu have accepted. And to think you've made zero headway in almost...".

"Oh...Lucy" Natsu's voice cut Erza's sentence short, while also drawing the attention of every head in the room. The second the mans eyes met Lucy's, the feeling of the room switched dramatically. "I...uh..." Natsu started awkwardly, sitting up on the bed, only to aim his gaze at the floor. "Sorry...I didn't come get you myself."

"It's fine" Lucy said with a forced smile. She tried her best to avoid the painfully awkward looks from her friends, but in doing so, failed to notice the silence she let drag on.

Thankfully, it was Gray to the rescue. A loud cough to clear his throat, and the man successfully gained control of the situation. "Hey" he aimed his words at the later members of the team, "we should probably go meet with this Mayor guy, he'll want to know that we're helping out with the job."

Lucy mouthed a hidden 'thank you' as most of her friends shrugged and headed for the door. Natsu looked reluctant to not follow, but for whatever reason, he stayed planted on the bed. Watching him closely, Lucy felt her heart drop. No sooner did Gray open the door to leave, then Natsu's nose made a very distinctive twitch.

She knew that twitch, someone else had entered the room.

Sure enough, turning around revealed the very person their friends had planned to meet. Mayor Gurian stood in the doorway, a fist raised forward to knock on the already opened door. A moment to regain his composure, and the sharply dressed man took a single step inside the room.

"Well, this is a pleasant surprise" he said, taking a look around. Now farther in, Gurian stopped at every new face, either offering a solid handshake, or in Wendy and Carla's cases, a playful pat on the head. After a series of introductions, the man (a tad reluctantly) released his grip on Erza's hand, and walked back into the middle of the room. "I never expected your guild to take this much interest in my city, the extra help is greatly appreciated. So...have you made any progress?."

The question was directed towards Lucy, but it was Natsu who spoke up. "Nothing so far, but we've only been able to search about half the city."

"Now that all of us are together, I'm sure we can get to the bottom of your problem" Erza added.

"I'm certain you will" Gurian said with a smile, "now, for the actual reason I came up here." On his way to the door, the man relied heavily on his cane for support. "I'm holding a tiny get together down in the ballroom, some of the most influential men and women in Soveria are in attendance. As you can expect, my political abilities have been in question ever since the first mage complained of a stomach ache."

"You want our help" Wendy said from her spot on the bed, "if everyone sees us at your party, it'll show them you're doing everything you can to help your city."

His smile widening, Gurian used the tip of his cane aim a playful wink at the young girl. "Exactly sweetie. I know it's late, so I won't force this on you. All I ask is that you keep it in mind."

"We certainly will" Erza said, speaking for the entire team of mages.

With that, Gurian left the room, a casual wave over his shoulder as a parting gesture.

* * *

Thanks to Virgo, Lucy was at least able to hide her anxiety behind her favorite dress. Almost identical to the one she'd worn on her supposed 'date' with Natsu, the only difference was this particular black dress had originated from the spirit world. Along with it, Virgo had also provided a sparkling pair of high heels for the occasion, as well as two white dress gloves to cover her hands. Natsu and Gray had also been provided with clean pressed suits, and even Wendy was given a small pink dress to fit the mood.

When her friends had made the (mostly) unanimous decision to take Gurian up on his offer, she knew objecting would only be a waste of time. Worst of all, she couldn't shake the thought that Natsu had sided against her solely to avoid talking. The man had literally ran out of the room once he was dressed, so that didn't bode well for his defense.

Alongside him, Erza was second to leave for the ballroom. In just a matter of seconds, the woman had switched out of her regular armor, trading it for a pair of knee high boots and a flowing violet dress. For the first time in her life, Lucy would've given anything to become a requip wizard. Neither Carla or Happy felt the need to dress up (or possessed the clothes to do so), so they were next to leave.

It was only when Gray had changed and left the room, that Wendy and Lucy were finally comfortable enough to strip. Keeping her hair in its twin ponytails, Wendy adorned herself in her dress in only a moments time.

"Thank you for the dress Miss Lucy" Wendy said once fully dressed.

"No problem" Lucy answered with a forced smile. A swift turn on her heel when her dress was finally in place, the girl gestured to her backside. "Could you zip me?."

Wendy did what was asked of her, and did so with a sincere smile. A minute later, both girls left the room behind, navigating several identical hallways on their way to the ballroom. Gurian had described the event as a 'tiny' get together. Stepping into the spacious circular room, Lucy wondered if the man had a somewhat distorted sense of scale.

The room itself was impressive enough. With a shining marble dance floor, stain glass windows lining the walls, and an extravagantly large chandelier hanging from its high ceiling. But all that aside, it was the sheer amount of people that impressed Lucy the most. The dance floor alone had to be packed with at least a hundred guests, double that with those sitting at the various tables scattered around the room.

It was at one of those tables that Lucy spied her friends. With a soft tap on Wendy's shoulder, she led the way across the room, turning a few heads as she did so. No sooner had the two girls joined their friends, than Gurian appeared out of a nearby crowd of suits and dresses.

"I owe you lot an even greater deal for this" the Mayor said as he approached the table, "the foods all you can eat, and some of these people aren't entirely awful to talk with. Please, try to have a good time, this is the very least I can offer you for...". Before he could finish, a single soldier approached Gurian from the ballrooms main entrance.

The soldier offered nothing as a greeting, rather leaning straight into the Mayor's face, using his free hand to cover his mouth as he spoke. After a moment of silence, Gurian's once pleasant smile was replaced with a look of utter vexation. "Ugh, damn it" the man said, rubbing at his eyes as he waved the soldier away. "You'll have to excuse me, more pressing matters and all that. Just inform one of the workers if you require anything."

A short bow to announce his leave, and Gurian disappeared back into the crowd. Where he went from there, Lucy wasn't quite sure. Given the guests looked more like a sea of suits than actual people, it was impossible to trace any one amongst them.

"Hey man, what did that guard say to him?" Gray asked.

The question was aimed at the pink-haired hair man across the table, but it was painfully clear Natsu hadn't picked up on that. The mans gaze was dead set on the empty plate in front of him, barely remembering to blink as he toyed thoughtlessly with his fork. When he finally did acknowledge the question, the answer he gave was far from helpful. "Huh...oh yeah. I don't know, I wasn't really paying attention."

"Of course not" Gray shot back, making no effort to hide a drawn out roll of his eyes.

The act garnered him a stern look from Erza, who then turned a concerned gaze towards Natsu. "Are you alright Natsu?, you've been acting rather strange since we arrived?."

"I'm fine". The mans reply came for too quickly to be anything but unsettling. "I just...I need"... obviously desperate for anything to get him away from the table, Natsu eyes began to quickly scan the area around him. "Food" he said, once he spied the buffet line forming across the room. "Yeah, I need food."

Before the man could fully utilize his excuse to leave, Gray jumped from his seat and snatched Natsu's plate off the table. "Let me get that for ya buddy, you just sit tight and relax."

Natsu was given no time to object, as Gray immediately spun around to face the rest of his friends. "Ya know what, how about we all go?. I don't think any of us have eaten since we left Magnolia."

"I am pretty hungry" Wendy said in agreement. After a small jump brought the girls tiny feet to the floor, she grabbed Lucy's plate in addition to her own. "You look tired Miss Lucy, I'll get some food for you."

"Oh, thank you Wendy."

One by one, Lucy watched her friends all leave the table. The last of whom, Gray, offered a quick wink before doing so. At last, the girl was alone with Natsu. So...why couldn't she manage to open her mouth?.

For what felt like hours, but was probably more like minutes, it was all she could manage to meet the mans eyes, let alone find the will to speak. And Natsu's expression didn't help matters. In the few moments we he'd actually return her gaze, his face looked as though he was standing atop a spinning pedestal. When he didn't look one movement away from vomiting, the man refused to lift his head entirely.

One uncomfortable beyond belief, the other with a mouth as dry as sand. Both friends simply sat motionless, afraid to make even the slightest movement, that it might catch the others attention. Classical music from the stage area of the ballroom killed the silence, but did nothing to ease the tension between the two mages.

"Natsu..." Lucy finally managed.

In an act that caused the girls heart to drop, Natsu rose from his seat to cut her off. "I need some air."

"W..." try as she might, Lucy was unable to stop her friend from leaving. However, watching him walk away, a sudden revelation forced her to her feet as well. All this time, she'd been thinking all this crush could cause her was a few embarrassing or awkward situations. But now, it looked like it had the chance of shattering their friendship entirely.

The thought chilled the girl to her core, and fueled her steps in direct pursuit of the quickly fleeing man. Natsu made his way through the crowd with little effort and stepped out a large open archway along the rooms back wall. The ballrooms verandah, while big enough to house a number of party goers, was empty for a reason. Be that as it may, one step outside proved Natsu didn't care about the rain ruining his suit.

"Natsu" Lucy said sternly, walking into the harsh rainfall without a moments hesitation. Hearing her voice, Natsu stopped along the verandahs railing. Leaned forward as the rain flattened his hair, the man eyed the lit up garden that spanned the castles backyard, mainly as an excuse to not turn around when Lucy approached from behind.

"Natsu!" she tried one more time, forced to raise her voice against the rain. "Would you quit acting like I'm invisible." Now by the mans side along the verandah, Lucy grabbed his scarf to forcefully turn him around. "At least look at me!."

Natsu didn't budge an inch while the girl tugged at his scarf. What he did do however, was finally speak, his voice serious enough to immediately stop Lucy in her assault. "I'm sorry."

The comment took Lucy so off guard, whatever anger she'd been feeling vanished in an instant. "What are you apologizing for?."

"I overheard you and Loke talking" the man explained, "when I heard...well what you talking about. Happy and me must have went to every last magic shop in the city looking for a cure."

If her heart hadn't just taken a dozen leaps inside her chest, Lucy may have managed a quick chuckle. As it was, she thought it better not to ruin the moment. Still, she couldn't help but smile.

"Natsu" she said softly, finally getting him to turn and face her. "Even you have to know you can't 'cure' a crush with magic, why even try?."

Running a hand through his soaked hair, Natsu was genuinely able to match her smile. That small fact, along with the return of the mans usual tone of voice, only made Lucy's heart leap all the more. "I know" he admitted, "but the way you were talking. When I heard your crush was...because of me, I kinda felt responsible for hurting you."

There was no holding back this time. A solid (if quick) bout of laughter escaped Lucy's lips. Thankfully, Natsu didn't seem to take offense, if anything, he looked relieved to see her laughing. "Oh Natsu" she said once her laughter had died down, "a crush doesn't hurt."

"It doesn't?" Natsu asked, genuinely confused.

"Of course not. If anything, it's the complete opposite." Increasingly aware of the dwindling space between them, Lucy leaned in just a bit more as she spoke. "I don't know how to explain it really, but it definitely doesn't hurt."

"You...you're sure it's a crush then?." Also aware of how close they were, Natsu secured his footing on the wet stone underneath him. "I mean, that's what Loke said right?. He said it would go away once it ran its course."

Their was mere inches between them now, Lucy could practically taste her own heart. The steady rainfall made no felt impact on her skin, and the thought that her favorite dress was now ruined couldn't be farther from her mind. "I...I'm not sure" she admitted, thankful the dim moonlit could hide the color of her face. "I thought it was at first...but now. When I'm around you, I feel...safe. Like the world itself could come crashing down on top of me, and you'd be there to hold it up. If that's a crush, then it's been going on long before we accepted this job."

"Lucy?" Natsu said in a surprised tone, "you're wearing your hair down."

Taken aback by the comment, Lucy felt a sudden warmth when the man lightly touched her damp golden hair. "Do...do you like it?."

"Yeah" Natsu admitted, perhaps a tad quicker than he meant to. "I mean...uh, it looks cool." The second the words left his mouth, Natsu's hands had reached the back of the girls head. Seemingly on instinct, his palm flattened upon meeting that point, slowly pulling Lucy's head in his direction.

The act seemed to scare Natsu as much as it did Lucy, as neither could hide an overwhelming blush from overtaking their face. Neither however, did either attempt to stop it from happening. In fact, as their faces drew ever closer, Lucy felt her lips begin to quiver uncontrollably. When both mages shut their eyes, both were equally startled when a sudden roar of thunder stopped the moment dead.

As a result, Natsu released his grip on the girls head. Both then immediately took a few steps back, sharing a painfully awkward laugh in the process. "We should get back inside" Natsu said, the first to gain back his composure. "Everyone's probably back at the table by now."

"Y...yeah" Lucy agreed, unsuccessfully trying to stop her body from shaking. During the walk back through the ballroom, the girl could still feel the lingering sensation of Natsu's breath on her face. Things may have just gotten a hundred times more complicated, but at least she knew one thing for sure. This was more than just a simple crush.


	7. A Fallen Hero

**Episode 7: A Fallen Hero**

Strange as it seemed, things sorta went back to normal now that everything was out in the open. Natsu retained his childlike nature, arguing with Gray and clearing plate after plate of food. And Lucy was finally able to sit back and relax, an ability she'd been lacking for a number of days now. Their friendship may have just taken an incredibly awkward step, but at least it was one they were both equally aware of.

For now, that was enough.

The next hour that went by was rather uneventful. The team of mages talked, laughed, and ate till their hearts content. After a while, Lucy even considered suggesting to her friends that they call it a night. But before she could, Erza stood to her feet, bathed in a golden light of magical energy.

Attracting quite a bit of attention from the people around them, the scarlet haired mage traded in her dress for an outfit Lucy found instantly recognizable. It was amazing really, after all this time, Erza had still held onto her Prince costume from their play.

When an elegant hand was aimed in her direction, Lucy raised an eyebrow in confusion. "You wanna dance, with me?."

"We need to talk" the woman said, "in private."

"_Okay_?."

Still unsure of exactly what her friend was up to, Lucy accepted Erza's hand regardless. Together, the two left the table with a parting smile, walking into the very center of the ballroom to find an empty spot amidst the crowd. A somewhat uncomfortable smile on her face, Lucy allowed her friend to lead, holding back a nervous laugh when the woman placed a hand on her waist. After that, it was surprisingly easy for the two girls to dance with one another.

"This quest, I don't like it" Erza said in a serious tone, while leading the younger girl in a series of graceful steps. "According to those documents the Mayor gave you, they have absolutely no idea what's causing the loss of magical power, even after months of investigating."

Ignoring the not-so-hidden glances from other dancers around them, Lucy instead focused on her friends face as she spoke. "That makes sense" Lucy admitted, "the leader of the city guard lost his magic not too long ago."

"Yes, effectively ending the guards investigation." One hand over her head, Erza gracefully spun her partner before pulling her in close. "A little convenient don't you think?. The only person in the city who had a chance of solving this, and he just so happens to be the only guard affected?."

Without thinking, Lucy chose to rest her head on her friends chest. Erza's perfume was a tad overwhelming this close up, but a pleasant smell nonetheless. "I...never thought about it that way" Lucy said in a soft tone, "but why would someone want to stop the guards investigation?. I can't think of anyone in the city who'd gain from this continuing, can you?."

"No, and that's what worries me." Now speaking directly into Lucy's ear, Erza kept her voice in an almost inaudible whisper. "I don't want to put the others on edge over a hunch, but I think we're in greater danger here than we realize."

No more than a second later, Lucy felt a sudden surge of magic enter their vicinity. She opened her mouth to speak, but was promptly silenced when a hard push from Erza sent her butt first to the floor. On her way down, the girl got a perfect view of her friend switching back into her normal armor.

'_Clang_!.'

The quick clash of steel against steel, and the crowd around Erza scattered in a frenzy of gasps and screams. The only man left, while dressed in a similar black suit, looked far less 'well kept' than the rest of the balls attendees. Although, Lucy didn't pay much attention to the mans face. When she noticed the shining dagger in his hands, it became obvious why her friend had thrown her to the floor.

Quickly realizing his attempt at an easy kill had failed, the would-be-assassin jumped back, or attempted to at least. Erza's hand just caught the mans arm, a sickening twist allowing her to pin the man to the floor, while also forcing the dagger from his grasp. It all happened in the blink of an eye, even before Lucy was able to stand fully to her feet.

The man struggled against Erza's ironclad grip, to no avail. One foot to keep his arms in check, a boot to the mans head silenced his angry groans. Confident the situation was over, Lucy took a tentative step towards the red-haired mage, only to be stopped in her tracks when Erza raised a hand in her direction. "Lucy, go sit with the others, now!."

"Yes ma'am!." Off like a shot, Lucy darted across the room and retook her seat at the table. Like the rest of her friends, she watched Erza with a look of equal worry and curiosity in the moments that followed.

No sooner had Lucy sat down, than a handful of shady-looking men walked out from the startled crowd. Ignoring the men entirely, Erza inspected the dagger in her hands, a sly grin crossing her lips when she noticed the insignia carved into its handle. "A mercenary guild" she said with a scowl, finally choosing to acknowledge the men slowly approaching her. "I suppose you were hired to kill me?."

A small blade pulled from under both of his sleeves, the man closest to Erza met her question with a wicked smile. "You, and your Fairy Tail friends over there" he said in raspy voice, one that sounded painfully out of place given his formal attire. "Make this easy sweetheart, I'd hate to mark up such a beautiful face."

Erza took a graceful step over the unconscious man at her feet, summoning a sword into each hand as she did so. "Oh don't worry, you won't." Both swords trailing behind her, Erza charged the smiling mercenary, clashing his blades with her own as the remaining men (five total) formed a small circle around them. One push of her swords knocked the leading merc off balance, causing him to stumble backwards.

Rather than use the opening to her advantage, Erza was forced into a quick dodge, falling stomach-first to the floor to avoid a swipe from the merc directly behind her. In this moment, it became evident to the mage that her enemies were woefully inexperienced. When any other skilled swordsmen would've taken advantage of her defenseless position, using it to ambush her all at once, these men simply stood back, watching as their comrade aimed a foolhardy blow at the downed woman.

Leaving her swords to disappear, Erza pushed hard against the marble floor. Her armor fought every last inch, but she was able to slide just beyond the mercs strike, passing between his legs in the process. Using the momentum from the action, she was able to easily push her way onto her feet. Now behind her attacker, a swift kick in the back sent the merc sailing forward, crashing into his leader, who had just regained his balance.

Both hit the ground with a satisfying thud.

Before she could once again be forced onto the defensive, Erza spun around to face the three men behind her. One swipe with a quickly requiped spear, and the weapons of all three fell into a perfectly cut heap at their feet. Unarmed, the men could only watch as the spears blunt end knocked them to the floor. For a split second, Erza paused to wipe a fair amount of sweat off her forehead.

Enough time for a single deep breath, the mage spun around just as another merc was charging her. The attack from his dagger was easy enough to sidestep, after which a simple extension of her foot introduced the mans face to the floor. Fighting to keep her smile from seeming cocky, Erza looked to the last two mercs still on their feet. "I'll give you one last chance to surrender peacefully" she said sternly, aiming her words at the man she'd talked with before.

"Don't look so smug" the merc leader said with a sizable grin, "it's still two against one."

On cue with the mans words, Erza reared back her spear, sending it soaring blunt end first through the air. The merc standing beside his leader could only sigh as he was thrown backwards, slamming hard into a nearby table as his body went limp.

"Oh." A few quick looks between his fallen comrades and the scarlet-haired mage, the merc leader dropped his weapons and took off towards the exit. Laughter from the once silent crowd quickly grew into roaring applause as the man fled. That is, until he reached the ballrooms main entrance.

One step around the corner saw the man wrapped in a vicious torrent of flame, one noticeably darker than anything Natsu could produce. Studying it from her seat, Lucy felt a cold chill travel down her spine. The flames color...it reminded her of blood.

The entire room once again fell silent, rendered so by the mysterious magical power. The blood red flame tightened around the mercs body, causing him to scream in agony as the magics source rounded the corner. Connected to the flames by a small fireball covering his fist, Gurian walked into view with an unreadable look on his face. A look around the ballroom, and the man proceeded inside, all but dragging the merc leader behind him.

"It seems we'll have to call the night early folks" he said in a serious tone that bounced all around the large room, "I am sorry, but you'll have to show yourselves out immediately."

The ballrooms crowd of guests, as well as the band, didn't waste time obeying the mans order. In a matter of minutes, both had cleared not just the room, but the castle itself. Leaving only Gurian, the either unconscious or restrained mercs, and the members of team Natsu, who all stood to their feet as the Mayor approached.

"Wh...what kind of flames are those?" Wendy asked, unable to keep her body from shaking.

Gurian stopped halfway between their table and Erza, who hadn't moved a single step since her victory. Almost as an afterthought, he lifted his right arm above his head, hovering the helpless merc in his grasp a few feet in the air. "They're called crimson flames, a bit of a lost magic these days" seeing the small girls scared expression, the man gave his best attempt at a smile. "Don't worry my dear, it's no more dangerous than any other fire magic."

The explanation didn't seem to soothe Wendy's discomfort, but Gurian must have found it satisfactory, as he ended his sentence by canceling said magic. As a result, the captive merc leader fell face first onto the floor. Nearly knocked unconscious from the impact, it was all the merc had to raise his head, a look of utter confusion on his face. "You...but you...".

Silenced by a gag of blood red flame, Gurian used his free hand to call over a single guard from the rooms entrance. Whatever order he was going to give was cut off when Erza walked over to join the situation. "These men were ordered to kill us, do you have any idea who could've sent them here?."

"I'm afraid not" the man answered earnestly, "I have no shortage of political rivals, most of whom were at this party until a moment ago. I'd like to think even they wouldn't resort to such drastic measures to take my place, but you never know."

Erza raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced, but let the moment pass nonetheless. "I suppose it doesn't matter in the end." Kneeling down beside the merc Gurian had pinned to the floor, Erza effortlessly tore at the back of his shirt, revealing the same insignia she'd seen on the first attackers dagger. "I saw a building with this exact mark on our way into the city. If we head there first thing tomorrow, we may be able to find out who's behind all of this."

"I can have these men interrogated" Gurian said, aiming a harsh glare at the bound and gagged man by his feet.

After a short silence, Erza shook her head. "I'm afraid that would only be a waste of time. I've dealt with these types of guilds before, the ones sent out never know who ordered the contract. I assume to prevent this exact situation."

As the woman spoke, Gurian's glare never once left the man at his feet. When she was finished, he finally switched his attention to the young girl standing behind him. "Wendy darling" he started, his voice eerily kindhearted. "Would you mind heading back to your room?."

The question confused everyone present, most of whom Wendy, who looked to Erza for her answer. At a stern nod from the scarlet-haired mage, she began to reluctantly step backwards. "I...guess not, come on Carla." Looking equally reluctant to leave, Carla eventually flew into her friends arms. Together, the two disappeared from sight around the corner of the first hallway.

Gurian stood still for some time afterward, only choosing to move once the sound of Wendy's footsteps were no longer audible. With a simple clench of his right fist, the flames around the fallen merc tightened considerably, straightening the mans body against his will. A short nod to the guard beside him, and the edge of a sword was brought to the mercs neck.

"Wait" Natsu said, stepping passed Lucy to stand by the Mayor's side. "What the hell are you gonna do to him?."

Strangely confused by the question, Gurian took a moment to comprehend what he was being asked. "We're going to kill him" he answered simply, "our prisons are overcrowded as is, I see no reason to add six more mouths to the cities debt." Another quick gesture, and the guard beside him raised his sword above his head.

"Stop!." A hand flat against both sides of the sword, Natsu was able to end the guards strike mere inches from the fallen mercs neck. The guard attempted to fight against his grip, but ultimately found his strength no match for the furious mage. "You can't just kill him!" Natsu yelled, "its not right!."

Erza opened her mouth, probably to scold the man for his rash action, but fell silent when Gurian's voice cut her off. "These men tried to kill your friend" the Mayor said calmly, "you would see them go unpunished for this?."

When the guard gave up his attempted execution completely, Natsu was able to stand back to his full height. "Erza already clobbered 'em, I'd say that's punishment enough." Eye to eye with Gurian, the pink-haired mage was doing a piss poor job of hiding his anger. "You're the Mayor of this city right?. Is this how you treat all of your citizens?."

"Natsu!" Erza scolded.

Reaching out a hand to pull the mage back, Erza was once again stopped short of her action when Gurian raised a dismissive hand. "Calm yourself Titania", the Mayor said, his tone still far too calm for the current situation. "Natsu makes a valid point. Mercenaries or no, these men are part of the city I've sworn to protect."

Instantly relieving the tension surrounding the group, Gurian allowed his flames to dissipate, relinquishing his hold on the fallen merc. Out cold (no doubt from fear) the mercs body went limp in an instant. "Take this man and his affiliates to the prison, and insure they're well aware of why their lives were spared."

While the guard carried out his orders, calling in several other men to help him, Natsu allowed himself a moment to calm down. As far as she could tell, Gurian held no frustration about her friends outburst, so Lucy finally found the situation comfortable enough to speak. "We should probably be getting to bed" she said to her friends, "it'd be smart to hit that mercenary guild before word travels that their assassination failed."

All nodding in agreement, Gray, Erza, and herself bowed their leave to the Mayor. Natsu and Happy (both still equally upset) merely walked away. The former allowed his shoulder to graze the much larger man, forcing him to turn as he passed.

"Salamander" Gurian called in pursuit of the young man, stopping him (as well as everyone else) one step from rounding the corner. "I wonder, before you turn in, might I have a word in private?."

* * *

Natsu was reluctant to leave his friends, but Gurian's tone of voice made it obvious he wouldn't take no for an answer. A quick nod of his head, and the pink-haired mage soon found himself being led deeper into the castle than he'd ever been before. Several sets of steps and more hallways than he could count, and Gurian finally came to a stop in front of an exquisitely carved wooden door. Pushing it open revealed a small study, furnished with a handful of filled bookcases, two red leather chairs, and an unlit fireplace at the center of the front wall.

Gurian led the way inside, looking to Natsu once he had crossed the room and taken a seat in one of the chairs facing the fireplace. "Would you mind?, my flames don't create much light."

Taking a seat himself, Natsu almost mindlessly blew of puff of flames into the fireplace. The room now baked in a warm orange light, the man turned in his chair before he spoke. "So what the hell was so important to drag me all the way down here?" he asked, making no attempt to mask the annoyed tone of his voice.

For a moment, Gurian was silent, his gaze watching Natsu's flame dance inside the fireplace. When he finally did speak, he voice was somewhat distant, talking more to the fire than the man across from him. "You asked before, about my limp. Are you still interested in hearing the story behind it?."

"Not really" Natsu answered truthfully, "but you're going to tell me anyway, aren't you?."

Despite the still somber look on his face, Gurian let a short laugh escape him. "Ha!, that I am by boy, that I am." When the fireplace's flame began to dwindle, Gurian used his own to grab a log of wood from a pile in the corner. Throwing it in resulted in a sudden, if short-lived, change in the rooms lighting.

"This will probably make me sound old, but you remind me a lot of myself at your age." As Gurian spoke, he made certain to meet Natsu's eyes. "Tell me, with all your power, do you even think of half the jobs you go on as dangerous?."

Natsu didn't need to answer, the look his eyes instinctively gave did that for him. However, rather than call attention to it, Gurian simply smiled at the mans response. Standing to his feet, the older man turned his back towards Natsu, speaking to the fire as he continued. "Yep, I was the same. Back when I called a guild my home, life was nothing more than an endless pursuit of power. Even though it put my teammate in greater and greater peril, I couldn't help but pick out the most dangerous quests I could find."

"Your teammate?" Natsu asked, his interest finally peaked.

Gurian answered with a solemn nod. "A girl by the name of Trisha. Sweet girl, caring, funny...beautiful. We were never an official team really, but for some reason, whatever job I went on, she always had a reason to tag along."

"So you were friends?."

Turning back around, Gurian nodded once more. "The best" the man said with a thin smile, which only grew wider when he continued. "After so long, I'd come to dread the times when we were apart. Although, that's not to say she didn't get on my nerves every once in a while. She used to have this nickname for me, called me 'Fireball'." When Natsu raised an eyebrow, Gurian laughed away his own comment. "Yeah, she never was very creative. But in her defense, my hair used to be red."

"Anyway" he said to get back on track, once again taking his seat across from Natsu. "One day I'd picked a job, to clear a group of bandits that were causing trouble in this small village. As usual, Trisha decided to come with me."

Natsu, despite still being aggravated at the man across from him, found it impossible not to pay attention as he spoke. Strangely enthralled in the story he was telling, the pink-haired mage sat in silence to let Gurian continue. "When we got there, I thought up a quick excuse to run ahead. Figured if I could find the bandits first, I could get double the fighting experience by taking them all on myself."

A short silence followed, during which Gurian switched his gaze to the floor, clenching his fists together when he did manage the next group of words. "I searched every inch of that village and came up with nothing. But on my way back to Trisha...I...I heard a scream...her scream. I ran until my legs begged me to stop, but I didn't get there in time to save her."

At this point Gurian's voice was a shadow of its former self. Sounding as though he was on the verge of tears, the man instead closed his eyes, no doubt picturing the remains of his tale. "Not too far from where I'd left her, Trisha had apparently been ambushed by the very bandits we were there to clear out. They waited until I could see her to cut her throat, the bastards actually laughed when I cried out her name."

"I loved her, but she died before I ever had the strength to say it" he said, very clearly talking to himself. "those...monsters, they took her away from me."

"Why are you telling me all this!?" not really sure why he was so angry, Natsu's fists snapped shut as he stood to his feet.

To his credit, Gurian did a decent job of using the dim light to hide his now bloodshot eyes. Standing himself before he spoke, he placed a comforting hand on Natsu's shoulder. "Calm yourself my boy, I wouldn't tell you such a twisted fairy tale without good reason."

His words did little to actually calm Natsu down, but they did at least gain his attention. "You killed them" the young man practically whispered, "that's why you're telling me this, you killed them didn't you?."

"Yes" Gurian's answer didn't miss a beat. Taking a single step closer, the older man tightened his grip on Natsu's shoulder, forcing their eyes to meet. "I want you to look me in the eye, and tell me I was wrong to take revenge for her death."

During the silence that followed, Natsu felt his blood begin to boil. It probably wasn't the response Gurian expected, but the young man simply couldn't stop his anger from reaching its breaking point. Fiercely swiping the hand off his shoulder, Natsu grabbed at Gurian's shirt, using it to hoist him several inches off the ground. Rather than fight back, the older man allowed his body to be lifted, closing his eyes as he was raised into the air.

"Of course it was wrong!" Natsu screamed, "Trisha was your friend!, do you really think that's what she would've wanted!?." A single tear trailed down Gurian's cheek, but Natsu was far from finished with his verbal assault. "You said you could see each other when in happened right!?. Well if that's true, then she died knowing you did everything you could to try and save her!. If she loved you, then that's all she would need to die with a smile!."

"A smile" Gurian repeated in a light whisper, opening his eyes when his feet were placed firmly back on the floor. "I...I never told you that's how she died."

His expression instantly switched back to a toothy smile, Natsu respectfully patted the wrinkles off his friends shirt. "I took a guess" for the rest of his words, Natsu's voice took on a far more serious tone.

"You were right to say you and I are alike. I'm no stranger to death myself, I've lost friends in the past...people I loved. But unlike you, I don't let it change who I am. I live my life to the fullest, enjoy every last second, and never take even the smallest moment for granted. Because I know that's what they'd want me to do."

Sharing in the younger mans smile, Gurian discretely wiped a tear from his eye. "I knew you were the right mage for this job my boy. Before you head back to your friends, there's something I want you to have."

Natsu raised an eyebrow as Gurian walked to the rooms side. A lone chest sat in the corner, coated in a thick layer of dust, which the older man promptly blew away. Pulling several items from the chest, he then walked back across the room. When he reached the arc of light cast from the fireplace, Natsu studied the items in his arms with a curious stare.

The first few objects were easy, a pitch-black pair of pants, boots, and the shirt and gloves to match. The object at the bottom of the pile however, he could only place once Gurian separated it from the rest. Unfurling it in front of him revealed a long crimson jacket, one decorated in a golden outline, with matching flames traveling halfway up its back, as well as up the wrist portion of both sleeves.

"Oh cool" Natsu said, making a rather impolite grab for the pile of clothes. "I forgot to bring a change of clothes, you're saving me a huge lecture from Erza...whoa!."

"Not so fast" pulling the clothes away from his grasp, Gurian accidentally caused the younger man to lose his balance. "You can have these, but on one condition" he said as Natsu fell to the ground by his feet. "I know for a fact Soveria is headed for disaster. Promise me that, no matter what threat arises, you and your friends will protect this city, and its citizens."

Pulling himself up off the floor, Natsu didn't require so much as a second to think. "I promise, now give me!."

* * *

During his walk back through the castle, Natsu couldn't help but think back on the story Gurian had shared with him. It turned his stomach how much he was reminded of his own actions. How many times had he ran off and left his friends behind?, just because he was so eager to fight with whatever creep they were tracking down. And perhaps the biggest question on his mind: what if one of his friends ever got killed over his thoughtlessness?.

Just the question chilled him to his core, so he knew coming up with an answer would be impossible. All he could do now was try to change his actions, insure he was less focused on fighting, and more focused on keeping his friends safe. It wouldn't be easy, but he refused to be responsible for the death of a friend, even if it was indirectly.

Shaking the rush of dark thoughts from his head, Natsu ascended the stairs leading him to a much needed rest. He stopped at the door to take a breath, and slowly turned the knob so not to wake his friends. It was a thoughtful effort, but also a worthless one. Only two of his friends were inside, and both were wide awake.

Lucy had changed back into her regular outfit, sprawled out on the farthest bed with her eyes dug deep into a book. Happy, sitting with a bored expression beside his friend, was the first to notice Natsu standing in the open doorway. "Natsu!. Finally, so did you pound that Mayor guy for trying to kill those mercenaries?."

"Natsu." Lucy cut off any attempt the man made to answer. A wide smile on her face, the girl slowly inched off the bed and stood to her feet. "One of the workers showed everyone else to their own room. A good thing to, I'm not sure we could've all slept in two beds."

"What's with the weird clothes?" Happy asked, flying to Natsu's side to inspect the items held in his arms. "And you never answered me before. What happened with the Mayor?." When all of his questions were met with silence, Happy hovered by the mans head and started to poke relentlessly. "Hello. Natsu?, I know you can hear me!."

Truth be told, he couldn't. Every bit of Natsu's mind was focused on the girl standing across from him. Meeting her eyes, he finally understood why Gurian's story had caused him to react the way it had.

'I loved her, but she died before I ever had the strength to say it.' Gurian's words echoed over and over again inside his head, becoming a throbbing pain that refused to stop, and increased in volume the longer he looked at Lucy.

His arms lost all feeling, and dropped the clothes he'd been given onto the floor. No longer in control of his own body, Natsu cleared the space between Lucy and himself in the blink of an eye. Nearly falling into her, he wrapped the girl in the tightest hug he could manage.

"N...Natsu?." Lucy's body tensed up at first, but slowly relaxed the longer he held on. Her arms pinned to her side under his grasp, she was unable to return the mans gesture. All she could do was smile, and pretend not to notice Happy's ear to ear grin as he watched them from across the room.


	8. Another Dead End

**Episode 8: Another Dead End**

When Natsu awoke the next morning, he immediately felt a rush of emotion wash over him. Shaking his head did nothing to stop the onslaught of memories, nor did sitting up along his bedside and rubbing mercilessly at his forehead. A lot had happened yesterday, more than his mind could comprehend all at once. Still, one look across the room reminded him that not all of it had been bad.

Lucy was sleeping soundly in the bed beside his own, a smile on her face and a familiar blue cat held tight against her chest. The sight brought a smile to Natsu's lips, and relieved his stress enough to get him to his feet. One smell of his usual attire brought a fair amount of bile to his throat. Desperate to get fully dressed before his friends woke up, he grabbed at the clothes Gurian had given him, which were still in a messy heap by the door.

Everything fit well enough, even if the mostly black outfit did feel a bit warm, especially with the sunlight pouring in from the verandah. The crimson jacket in particular fit his body perfectly. Its buttons hooked up without pushing on his chest, and the elongated collar left just enough room for Igneel's scarf to take its rightful place. When compared to his sandals, the boots felt a little weighty, but it was nothing a short walk couldn't fix.

Confident he didn't look completely ridiculous, he made way for the door, stopped after only one step when a sudden movement drew his eyes downward. "Oh, hey Plue" he said in a light whisper, kneeling to meet the tiny spirits eyes. "You summoned yourself huh, why's that?."

When Plue answered with his usual series of nervous movements, Natsu gave the spirit a wide grin. "Yeah, I know what you mean. Thanks for keeping an eye on her." Another short dance, and Plue was lifted off the ground by two gloved hands. "Nah, she can sleep for a little longer. How about we go see if the others are up yet?."

What he guessed was a nod, and Natsu placed the tiny spirit carefully on his shoulder, waiting until two small hands grabbed his hair before leaving the room. The moment he closed the door behind him, he could already smell his friends waiting by the base of the stairs.

"About damn time" Gray said angrily from his seat on the bottom step, "I thought you two were gonna sleep all day."

"Chill" Natsu practically spat in reply, walking directly passed his friend to lean against the opposite wall, where the rest of their group was also waiting patiently. "Lucy's still sleeping, you might as well make yourself comfortable."

Gray opened his mouth to reply, but cut himself short upon noticing his friends outfit. "Dude, what's with the clothes?."

"I was about to ask the same" Erza admitted, "it wouldn't have anything to do with your talk with Gurian last night, would it?."

Squeezing his palms a few times, Natsu grinned at the powerful feeling his gloved hands gave him. "Yeah" he answered, his voice noticeably distant. "it's sort of a long story, but he gave me these clothes because I promised to keep Soveria safe."

"That wasn't a long story at all" Carla stated matter-of-factly. The cats voice caused Natsu to shift his gaze from his own hands. Both Wendy and Carla were standing along Erza's opposite side, the former wearing her routine smile as she hummed quietly to herself.

'Good' Natsu thought to himself, 'no one must have told her about what happened last night.' Smiling at the thought, the direction of the mans gaze switched once more, following the faint sound of footsteps that slowly grew in intensity across from him.

Happy riding shotgun atop her head, Lucy made her way down the steps and shot her friends an apologetic smile. "Sorry guys, I didn't mean to make you wait on me."

"It's fine" Gray said with a shrug, standing to his feet when the girl walked passed him. "With those mercs from last night behind bars, we should have all the time in the world to attack their guild."

A solid nod in her friends direction, and Lucy continued into the hallway. "Plue" she said in an accusing tone, "I heard you walking around late last night, go get some rest." During the final words of her sentence, Lucy playfully tapped the spirits key against its pointed nose. With a flash of golden light, the small spirit disappeared from Natsu's shoulder, his place quickly seized by Happy.

"We should get moving" Erza said, waving a hand for all to follow as she started down the hall. The scarlet-haired mage led her friends through a maze of hallways, and eventually out the castles main entrance.

While they were waiting for the guards to open the front gate, Natsu silently took in his surroundings. The sky above had only partly recovered from last nights storm. Although a fair amount of sunlight shined down on his skin, it was only when the still gloomy clouds allowed it to do so. Listening intently, he could also hear several noises coming from the estates courtyard, no doubt from the guards they'd seen before getting in another day of training.

"Miss Lucy" Wendy started in a soft tone, gaining her friends attention. "I think you forgot to do your hair after you woke up, you're missing your two ponytails."

The sentence drew everyone's attention during their walk out the now open gate. Lucy tried to avoid all the eyes on her, but ultimately failed to keep herself from blushing. "Yeah, I...uh, I didn't want to keep you guys waiting any longer." At the end of her explanation, the girl stole a quick glance over her shoulder.

Natsu was walking a few steps behind her, his head aimed at his feet and his hands shoved into the pockets of his jacket. Now well on their way down the sidewalk, Lucy dragged a few steps to separate herself from the group. "Hey Natsu, are you alright?" she asked once walking beside the pink-haired mage.

Lifting his head to meet her eyes, Natsu aimed his words at the cat riding on his shoulder. "Happy, could you give us a minute alone?."

"Aw, but it's harder to eavesdrop from farther away" came the cats earnestly disappointed reply. At another look from his friends, Happy reluctantly sprouted wings and started to fly towards the rest of the group.

When Happy was finally out of earshot, Natsu forced himself to speak. "Listen Luce, I think you should be the one to pick our quests from now on."

"Why's that" Lucy asked, confused by her friends seemingly random statement.

"Every time I pick, I put you guys in danger" the man continued, returning his gaze to his feet. "If anything ever happened to you because of a job I picked, I'd never be able to forgive myself."

Inching a tad closer as they walked, Lucy shrugged away the mans words. "That's sweet Natsu, but I don't plan on dying anytime soon. Besides, whenever I'm in serious danger, I know it's only a matter of time before my hero comes to save me."

"Your hero?" Natsu asked.

"Oh, like you don't know who I'm talking about" Lucy answered in an almost gleeful tone, playfully cupping her hands behind her back. "I love all my friends at Fairy Tail, but you've always been the one I could count on no matter what."

Natsu physically coiled at Lucy's words. Meeting the girls eyes was now impossible, as was hiding the incredible amount of strain from his voice. "But...what if I screw up?" he asked, clenching his fists inside his pockets. "What if, one of the times you need me, I'm not fast enough to save you?."

Despite the dead serious actions of her friend, Lucy kept her attitude strangely upbeat. "Well, than I guess I'll just have to be my own hero" she said with a smile, "even when you pick the quest, I always know what I'm getting into, and I'm prepared to deal with it alone if I have to."

She knew her words had hit home this time. Not only was Natsu able to raise his head to look at her, but his eyes had regained their usual childlike stare. "Yeah, sorry" he said with a wide smile, "I didn't mean to talk like you can't handle yourself in a fight. It's just some things Gurian said, I guess they got me a little paranoid."

"Don't apologize, friends should be able tell each other anything." A quick look to make sure none of her friends weren't listening in, and it was Lucy's turn to drop her gaze downward. "Actually. Now that we're sort of alone, I thought maybe we could talk about how we almost...".

"We're here." Before she even had a chance to finish her sentence, Erza's stern voice stopped the entire group in their tracks.

'Damn it!' Lucy thought.

"Finally!" Natsu yelled in excitement, crashing passed all his friends in the process. "It feels like years since I've been in a fight!." A split second for Erza to point him in the right direction, and the excited man reared his foot back towards the door of the closest building.

They'd all seen it a thousand times. Natsu would kick the door off its hinges, go in body blazing, and leave them to clean up whatever goons he left standing. The pink-haired mage could be described with several words, but unpredictable wasn't one of them. This was why, when Natsu's boot stopped inches from the door, every one of his friends rubbed at their eyes in disbelief.

"Are you guys ready?" Natsu asked over his shoulder, increasing the confusion of his friends, who could only nod their response in perfect unison.

With that incredibly awkward moment behind him, Natsu reared back his leg once more. One swift (and fire fueled) kick, and the buildings wooden door incinerated in the blink of an eye. A few steps back, Lucy smiled as she watched her friend run inside. Even if something was still bugging him, it was nice to see Natsu acting like himself again.

* * *

"Ah!, I can't believe this!." Screaming what every one of his friends were thinking, Natsu kicked over the closest table as he took several desperate looks around. "Their guild mark is all over this place!, how can the entire building be deserted!." In his frustration, the pink-haired mage continued to blindly decimate the guildhall, kicking over tables and basically destroying anything he could see.

When they'd first arrived, the mercs guildhall had kind of resembled their own back at Fairy Tail. Several rounded tables taking up the majority of the room, while a long bar stretched across the front wall. Now though, it looked more like a pile of rubble than anything else.

Truthfully, if she wasn't afraid of hurting herself, Lucy probably would've joined him. Instead, she vented her frustration in her own way, by collapsing her head into her arms on the bar. It was a position she'd been in more times than she could count, but never for this particular reason. "I hate this job" she said in a defeated tone, "it's just one dead end after another. We've been at this for three days, and we're still not any closer to figuring out why everyone's losing their magic."

"We'll just have to keep looking" Gray said reluctantly, already studying the few places Natsu hadn't demolished. "The mercs obviously got wind of what happened last night, but maybe they left something useful in their hurry to leave."

"Natsu, please calm down" Wendy pleaded, trying her best to follow the man in his rampage across the room. "We can't search the place if you destroy everything."

"I'm surprised its taken him this long to lose his temper" Happy said from his spot on the bar, talking to Carla, who nodded her head in agreement.

Unaware of anything around her, Erza was busy pondering the large board hanging on the right-hand wall. Pulling a number of papers from the board, only then did she pay any attention to the pink blur running in circles around the room. "Natsu!, calm down and take a seat!."

In the time it took Lucy to turn around in her stool, Natsu was sitting directly beside her. "Did you find something Erza?" Lucy asked.

"Just our assassination contracts" the woman answered during her walk over to them. Once everyone had gathered together, she threw the papers in her hand into a perfect row on the bar. "It doesn't look like this place is going to help in our search, but we can at least turn the unaccepted contracts into the police."

"The police" Natsu repeated mindlessly. Snapping his fingers not only produced a small flame, but turned his head to the girl sitting beside him. "That reminds me Lucy, I think we should go see that Mars guy again. I'm not sure, but I can't shake the feeling that he's hiding something."

Shaking his head from side to side, Happy walked between the two friends. "Please Natsu, even you could come up with a better excuse than that."

"Wait, I'm not following" Erza said in a confused tone, "what are you talking about Happy?. An excuse for what exactly?."

Alongside his answer, Happy developed an increasingly devilish grin. "Natsu just wants to be alone with Lucy so they can be all lov...hey!."

Before the cat could finish his sentence, Lucy and Natsu both used their hands to cover his mouth. Their following rant may have come off as normal, that is, if both wizards hadn't said it in perfect unison. "Oh you know Happy, he's just speaking nonsense like always." The short rant was followed by a moment of awkward laughter, which finally caused Gray to walk away from the situation.

Obviously confused even further, Erza raised an eyebrow at her friends actions. "Okay, sorry I asked. Anyway, if you two are going to do...whatever it is you're doing, I guess the rest of us will start searching the city."

"Hey guys, you might want to come see this" Gray called from outside, causing all his friends to rush out the door and join him. "Notice anything strange?."

At first, Lucy wondered what the man was talking about. The city looked fine, basking in the sunlight of a slowly clearing sky. But after a moments time, she realized what Gray was trying to show them. As far as the eye could see, Soveria's streets were just...empty.

The roads and sidewalks were devoid of even a single person, and while she could still sense people inside the buildings around her, their magical energy was almost nonexistent.

"Was it like this on the way here?" Lucy asked her friends, gaining only a series of shrugs in response.

"Everyone must be too weak to move" Carla said, sharing her friends wide eyed expressions. "This isn't good, if mages are left without magic for too long they could die."

"Wait, her comes somebody!" Wendy announced while pointing down the road.

Following the girl's finger, Lucy instinctively took a few steps back at the man approaching them. A face hidden behind long black hair, sluggish movements, and the magical sense of someone on the brink of death. Suffice it to say, she wasn't the only one to step back.

In fact, the only person brave enough to stay in the mans way, was Erza. "Sir, are you okay?" the woman asked, grabbing at the mans shoulders to stop him from walking, and in doing so, answering her own question. His momentum stopped, the mans legs buckled underneath him, sending his body to the ground with a hard thud.

"Oh!" Wendy gasped, "let me through!, maybe I can...".

In her rush to get to the fallen mans side, the girl ran head first into Erza's outstretched arm. "Don't waste your magic" the woman said in a stern tone, "we can't risk running too low ourselves. Besides, the only thing that will save him now is recovering his own magic."

When Wendy reluctantly accepted her words, Erza turned her attention to the rest of the group. "We're gonna have to split up, search the entire city top to bottom."

"We can fly two people around" Carla offered, speaking for both Happy and herself.

"Alright" Erza said, a fist pressed against her chin as she looked down the road ahead of them. "You two take Lucy and Wendy, try and cover as much ground as you can. Meanwhile, Gray and I will find a magic-mobile, and Natsu...".

At the sound of his name, all heads turned in Natsu's direction. The pink-haired mage, oblivious to anything around him, was knelt down by the fallen mans side. His expression caused Erza's to visibly soften, especially when she watched her friend reach down to check the mans pulse. "You know what to do" she said softly.

Managing a quick nod, Natsu stood slowly to his full height. A moment to lock eyes with Lucy, and he took off down the sidewalk at a swift run.


	9. Mystery Solved

**Episode 9: Mystery Solved**

With two flaming fists to increase his stride, Natsu tore through Soveria's empty roads at speeds that would've made Jet turn an eye in jealousy. He didn't even bother to slow down upon reaching the hospital, choosing instead to burn right through the main entrance. The lobby was empty, as was every hallway on his way to the elevator.

The elevator ride upward felt like it lasted forever, every inch of progress slowed to a crawl by the adrenaline flowing through his body. When the doors finally opened in front of him, he rushed out and immediately began to gaze inside every room he passed._ 'Damn it!. What room was it again?, usually Lucy's here to remember stuff like this.'_

Thankfully, most of the rooms he checked were empty, making the tedious task go by quickly. Nearly half way down the hall, he spotted a familiar form in one of the rooms. No time for manners, he ran into the room and grabbed at Mars's hopefully sleeping form. "Mars!, Mars wake up!, I need your help!."

No doubt due to his constant shaking, Mars opened his eyes. It was only for a second, but it was enough for Natsu to release the man, and lower the tone of his voice. "We're running out of time, everyone in the city is collapsing."

The only response to his words was silence. Mars's body laid unmoving on the bed in front of him, the man's slowly rising chest the only sign he was even alive. Never one to give up easily, Natsu spoke up once more. "Before, you mentioned Lucy. Why?. What does she have to do with all this?."

Again, his only answer was silence.

"Damn it!" he screamed, "everyone in this city is going to die!. Open your eyes and answer me!."

For a few painfully slow seconds, he received only the usual reaction. Then, when he was just thinking about leaving to help his friends, Mars's eyes reopened. His once colored eyes were now fully diluted, and his voice, barely audible, only managed one word in reply to Natsu's many questions. "Run."

Any ordinary human never would've heard the apparent warning, but for Natsu, it was clear as day. Jumping back just in time, he watched wide-eyed as a pitch black shadow formed mere inches from his boots. "Shadow magic" he said with a gasp, "just like that Diorama guy."

The shadow started as a flat circle on the floor, but quickly took a more human shape as it rose upward. By the time a fully formed man stood in front of him, Natsu had his feet planted firmly on the floor, as well as a roaring flame over both his fists. The mans face, along with most of his body, was hidden behind a dark hooded robe, but Natsu could still smell his murderous intent.

A cautious glance to the bedridden man behind his enemy, and Natsu chose to at least attempt a peaceful solution. "Tell ya what buddy, I'm in a hurry here" he started with a grin, "How about you tell me who hired you, and I'll spare you the beating of a lifetime?."

His answer came in the form of a hard hit to the side, one that he had no chance of blocking. The hit sent him flying into the wall, cracking its hard frame in several places as he struggled to stay on his feet._ 'Good'_ he thought, smiling when another shadow mage appeared directly across from him. _'These __guys are here for me, I should be able to lead them away.'_

That thought in mind, he turned away from his attackers, leaping out the window behind him in an explosion of fire and glass. Like he'd hoped, both mages followed him into the empty street outside. Unfortunately, the second his boots hit the pavement, three more identical robed mages rose up from the ground. Now five in total, the shadow mages formed a tight circle around their target, who's smile was now ear to ear.

"Alright!, _now_ I'm getting revved up!" the pink-haired mage yelled excitedly, smashing his fists together to produce an intense flame. "Come on!, I'll give you guys the first move!."

It was meant to be a joke, but the shadow mages wasted no time in taking advantage of his offer. Utilizing their circular formation, they quickly created a pitch-black dome over their opponent.

"Oh no you don't!" even from inside the slowly shrinking dome, Natsu's voice could be heard no problem. "Fire dragon wing attack!."

The fiery burst that followed not only decimated the shadow dome, but caused all five dark mages back underground to avoid being hit. Now able to see, Natsu only had a moment to look around. Several sharp pointed shadows rose from the ground all around him, every one homing in on his exact position. With no visible target to attack, he was forced to dodge the lighting fast attacks, jumping backwards until his back touched concrete.

Against the hospitals front wall, the assault of shadow arrows formed a straight line as they soared towards the pink-haired mage, an attempt to trap him from fleeing to either side. An attempt that almost worked, as Natsu looked from left to right, desperate for a means of escape. Thankfully, as the shadow arrows closed in on their target, a solution presented itself.

Sure of their victory, the arrows arced slightly upward before moving in for the kill. The act gave Natsu a split second window to roll under them, turning his head to watch every last one smash uselessly into the wall. He started to grin, but was cut short when a circular shadow appeared underneath him. The attack was probably meant to take him off guard, but thanks to his adrenaline fueled senses, Natsu felt it coming from a mile away.

"Enough hiding!" he screamed, plunging a gloved hand into the darkness. Closing his fist at the feel of something solid, he yanked the dark mage out of the shadow by his robe. Not eager to give his opponent any chance to fight back, Natsu quickly reared back a flaming fist. "Fire dragon iron fist!".

Watching the dark mage fly into the skyline, Natsu was finally able to complete his grin. But it was short lived, as the remaining four mages appeared in front of him, all covered in a thin black aura. The sight wiped the grin from his face, and replaced it with a wide smile. "One down. So who's next?."

* * *

Gray usually didn't mind riding on the top of a magic-mobile. In fact, given the opportunity, he preferred it to sitting inside the small moving box. This time however, he was beginning to regret his decision. Forced onto his stomach due to Erza's chosen blistering speed, he could barely open his eyes as their vehicle shot through Soveria's empty streets. Knowing full well warning the woman about her magic would only waste his breath, the man instead focused on using his senses to search the city.

It was hard to explain, especially to someone who couldn't use magic. Basically, if a mage concentrated hard enough, they could almost '_feel_' when a suspicions form of magic was close by. Whether it was because the magic was powerful, uncommon, or even dark. It was almost like having a sixth sense, except one that was slightly harder to control than the others.

Using this ability, Gray mentally scanned every block they traveled through, and came up empty a frustrating amount of times. Between the wind that resulted from Erza's driving, and the fact that he didn't really know what to search for, his task became impossible very quickly. After several failed attempts, he opened his eyes, squinting hard against the wind. Their magic-mobile was barreling down a street in the market district, passing one barren storefront after another.

On their way into the next turn, Gray felt the sunlight cease its warm assault on his body. Although thankful for the shade, the lack of tall buildings around him peaked his interest. A casual look over his shoulder, the man was instinctively brought to his feet. "Erza, could you speed up a bit?."

"Why?" Erza asked, chancing a quick glance backwards. Following her friend's gaze, she immediately doubled their speed at the sight in the sky above them. Three robed mages were hot in pursuit, using wings derived from shadow magic to keep up with the speeding vehicle. "Hold on!" the woman bellowed, a hard turn nearly turning their magic-mobile on its side.

"To what?!" Gray shot back. Barely keeping his balance on the vehicle's roof, the ice mage turned a slanted gaze upward. Now trailing just a few feet behind them, the shadow mages had formed a tight triangle in the sky. Seconds later, an arching barrage of shadow spears rained down over the magic-mobile.

"Shit!. Ice make shield!" a lighting fast hand gesture, and Gray summoned his signature wall of ice over the bulk of their vehicle. The icy structure easily blocked every shadow spear thrown at it, before shattering at its creator's command. Seeing the shadow mages already preparing another attack, Gray cut them off with one of his own. "Ice make lance!".

Three simple words, and his own barrage of spears flew forth from Gray's magic circle, sailing into the air directly towards their target. The shadow mages were forced to split up to dodge the attack, but all three managed to do so without being hit.

"Damn it!" Gray cursed while talking a breath, "who are these guys anyway?!."

"Probably members of a dark guild" Erza said in her usual serious tone, "I'm betting someone went for the big guns when those mercenaries failed to kill us."

Already tossing his shirt carelessly into the air, Gray rolled his eyes at the woman's explanation. "_Perfect_. It's one thing after another with this job, whoever keeps hiring these goons better look out after all this is over with!."

Yet another sharp turn in the road ahead, and Gray placed his fist flat against his palm. "Ice make death scythe!" the words brought a large scythe of ice into the man's hands, which was then thrown with all his strength at their pursuers. Every shadow mage easily avoided the attack, that is, until it came back around. From behind, only one of Gray's enemies managed to see the spinning scythe coming.

When two shadow mages fell to the ground, screaming in pain, Gray caught his returning scythe with a wide grin.

"Hey Gray" Erza said, her tone a tad uneasy.

Busy watching his fallen enemies disappear into the horizon, Gray had just turned his attention to the final shadow mage. "What is it?. I'm a little busy here."

"Just look over here!."

Forced to turn by Erza's raised voice, Gray felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. The road ahead was entirely blocked by a massive build up of magic-mobiles, and with no room to turn around, their vehicle had only one direction it could go.

"Crap!" Gray spat while blocking another attack from the remaining shadow mage, "just give me a sec!." Canceling his current shield, the ice mage had just enough time to turn around and form his stance.

"Ice make ramp!".

The spell activated only seconds before their inevitable crash, creating a sparkling ramp between their magic-mobile, and the many others in its way. The ramp sent their vehicle several feet into the air, soaring just above the other magic-mobiles. During the short jump, Erza unfastened herself from the flying vehicle. Already covered in a golden aura as she stood to her feet, the scarlet-haired woman hit the vehicles roof in her lighting Empress armor.

Gray barely had time to comprehend the action, so focused on the weightless feeling of not only his body, but the vehicle underneath him. Even so, he managed to watch Erza's electric staff let off a single shot, which nailed the final shadow mage about the same time they hit the ground. Blinking his eyes one more time saw Erza in the drivers seat, back in her regular armor. It all happened so fast, Gray could only stare at his friend in amazement.

Well aware of the eyes on her, Erza simply smiled as she brought their magic-mobile to a slow stop. "We should keep looking, this attack has to mean that we're close."

* * *

"This is unbelievable" Lucy exclaimed while soaring high above Soveria, "we've already covered half the city, and I've only seen a handful of people still able to walk." Even as she said it, the girl gazed down at the city in disbelief. Dead...that was the only word she could think to describe such a horrific sight. Seeing the once vibrant city in this state of decay, it easily brought a tear to her eye.

Shaking her head to reign in her emotions, she put all her concentration back on the current situation. With the aid of Carla and Happy respectively, Wendy and herself flew all around Soveria's more populated areas. Constantly changing altitude to keep their speed going, the four mages made excellent time in their search. Unfortunately, even after half an hour of solid progress, they'd come up with nothing.

When it was clear their furry friends needed a rest, Wendy and Lucy pointed out a nearby rooftop to take a break. Both girl's hit the roof feet first, stretching their limbs while Happy and Carla collapsed from exhaustion. Try as she might, Lucy couldn't resist petting the blue cats head as she pulled their map from his backpack.

"That's another district down" she said, unfolding the map for all to see. "Only one more to go. If we don't find anything there...well, we'll just have to pray the others had more luck."

"I'm sure we'll figure this out Miss Lucy" Wendy offered, flashing a childlike smile. "We just have to stay positive."

Meeting the small girl's eyes, Lucy felt her lips instinctively form a smile of their own. "Yeah" she said, her tone now far more confident. "It's been a rough few days, but at least it can't get any worse."

"Ugh" Happy groaned from his collapsed position, "_please_ tell me you didn't just say that?."

The cat was right to be upset. No less than a minute later, two circular shadow's appeared over the side of the building, creeping across the roof completely out of sight from all four mages. By the time Lucy took notice to the strange threat, both shadow's were nearing dangerously close to her feet. Barely allowed time to scream, Lucy was quickly silenced when a single robed man rose up from the ground, painfully forcing her hands behind her back.

"Lucy!" screaming to gain everyone's attention, Happy sprang into the air and aimed his back paws at his friends attacker. The blow obviously didn't do much damage, but it did cause the robed man to stumble backwards. While he was off balance, Lucy reared her head back, freeing herself with an equally painful headbutt.

By this time, Wendy and Carla were also ready to fight. Although the two were stopped from aiding their friends when a second attacker appeared between them. Midway into a massive intake of air, Wendy stopped her own attack at the sound of Lucy's voice.

"Don't Wendy!."

One quick 'thwack' bringing her whip to life, Lucy used the magic infused weapon to keep both their attackers focused on her. "One of us has to keep searching the city, get out of here while you can!."

From the look on her face, it was clear Wendy didn't want to leave, but deep down she knew her friend was right. If all four of them got wrapped up in this fight, they'd never complete their search. It wasn't easy, but the small girl forced herself to the building's edge, cringing a bit when Carla grabbed her back. "Be careful Miss Lucy, I'll hurry right back if I find anything!."

"Go!."

With another look back, Wendy dropped off the roof and disappeared from sight. One of the shadow mages attempted to follow, but found themselves wrapped up after a single step. Pulling hard on her whip, Lucy slowly drew the struggling man backwards. "Hey now buddy" the girl said teasingly, "wouldn't you rather look at me anyway?."

At the last of her words, Lucy pulled a single key from her belt. "Open, gate of the golden bull!. Taurus!."

Taurus appeared in a flash of golden energy, his heavy fist already flying towards Lucy's opponent. Before the punch could connect, the shadow mage vanished into the ground, causing both Taurus to stumble, and Lucy's whip to unfurl. "Damn, sorry Miss..." at a look over his shoulder, the spirit instantly lost his train of thought. "Whoa, you're looking _good_ today Miss Lucy!. Any chance of a smooch if I smash these guy's into the dirt?."

"I'll think about it!" Lucy said, mainly to get the spirit's focus back on the fight. Sure enough, it worked. A loud triumphant moo, and Taurus turned back around with a look of fierce determination. While he charged the reappearing mage he'd attacked before, Lucy switched her attention to the other shadow mage.

Happy was keeping the mage busy, flying around his head in a flash of dizzying circles. But with a severe lack of physical attacks, she knew that's all the cat could manage without help. Confident Taurus could handle himself, she used a well aimed whip crack to gain the mages attention. "Happy, grab my back!".

The cat did what was asked of him, leaving his opponent to latch onto Lucy with his front paws. Meanwhile, Lucy swung a second key in the air in front of her, summoning Capricorn a second later. The bipedal goat wasted no time in accessing the situation. A few quick strides to clear the space between them, and he began a savage assault of kicks and punches on the shadow mage.

Most of the attacks were either dodged, or blocked with quick rising shadows, but the few that got through hit hard. After a seriously brutal hoof to the gut, the shadow mage fell to one knee. Raising his fist for one final blow, Capricorn was instead forced back by a sudden wave of shadow magic.

As he landed by Lucy's side, the spirit gave the girl a quick glance. "These men, their magic reeks of a dark influence. If you would, please go help Taurus, I can handle this guy myself."

"Of course" Lucy answered solemnly. It felt wrong turning her back on a friend, but it soon became clear why Capricorn has asked her to do so. Two more shadow mages had appeared around Taurus. Together, the three of them attacked with an onslaught of shadow spears, which the spirit barely managed to block with his axe. "I'm coming Taurus!."

Sprinting across the roof, Lucy suddenly felt her body become weightless. A look over her shoulder, and she smiled at the winged cat lifting her off the ground. With Happy's speed to propel her forward, the girl lashed out with her whip, wrapping one of the three shadow mages around the waist. Pulling hard when Happy came to a stop, Lucy flung the confused mage into the air.

Obviously taken off guard, the mage had no time to react before he was slammed into the neighboring building, leaving a human shaped crater behind on his way to the ground. Upon seeing their fallen comrade, the remaining two mages switched their attention upward. Lucy went wide eyed at the amount of shadow spears sent in her direction.

"Happy!."

"I'm on it!" the cat yelled in reply. In order to dodge every attack thrown at them, Happy flew the girl in a dizzying mix of directions. After looping a particularly pesty arrow, the cat made use of an opening in their attack. Moving at the very max speed of his magical power, he flew Lucy directly passed both mages.

As a result, both mages instantly lost their balance attempting to follow the action. The second they began to stumble, a single strike from Taurus's axe sent them flying. Before either could hit the ground, they were coiled up by Lucy's whip, and, after a few max speed spins, thrown into the same building as their friend.

"Yeah!" Lucy exclaimed, laughing at the three symmetrical craters they'd created. "Great job you guy's, I knew we could do it!."

As Happy lowered her back onto the roof, the girl's smiled widened. Capricorn was on his way over to their position, stepping casually over the shadow mage by his hooves. "Yes, but the question still remains. Who were these men?. And more importantly, why did they attack you?."

"I'm not sure, maybe..." before Lucy could finish her thought, a major increase in the magic around them caused her skin to crawl. Tightening her grip on her whip's hilt, the girl watched as another dozen shadow mages appeared, forming a circle around all four of them. "Crap!. How many of these guys are there!?."

* * *

_**Several Minutes Later**_

"Alright, now which one of you are gonna answer my questions?." Speaking in an overconfident tone, Natsu aimed his question at the pile of shadow mages in front of him. His only answer came in a series of defeated groans, a response that was literally music to the man's ears. He thought about forcing them to talk, but eventually dropped the idea when a familiar sound turned him around.

Roaring down the street behind him, Erza and Gray's magic-mobile came to a sudden stop only inches away from his feet. When both mages jumped off the vehicle, Natsu asked the obvious. "_So_, did you find anything?."

"Only a few of these hacks" Gray answered, gazing over at the pile of robed men. "I take it you came up empty too."

Natsu nodded. "Mars was too weak to answer my questions, and I sorta got sidetracked after I was attacked."

"This is bad" Erza said seriously, two squinted eyes aimed towards the sky. "It'll be nightfall in a few hours, if we can't figure this out by then, every mage in this city is going to die."

Joined by her two friends in watching the darkening sky, the scarlet-haired mage entered a short moment of silence. During that silence, the worried look on her face slowly softened, replaced by one of confusion as he mind began to wander. "Wait a minute" looking down at the palms of her hands, she drew her friend's attention by continually opening and closing her fists. "My magic power...it's returning?."

"What?" Natsu and Gray asked simultaneously. Equally confused, the two men met each others eyes. Their own short silence, and both came to the same realization. "Hey, ours is too!."

"What the hell is going on?" Erza asked, speaking to herself. "Why are we the only mages not being affected?."

"Natsu!."

Wendy's outcry turned all three heads to the sky once more. The small girl had a profoundly worried look on her face, which continued to grow as Carla landed her beside her friends. "I can't find Lucy and Happy!. We split up after being attacked, and when I went back they were both gone!."

"Even the men who attacked us were missing" Carla added in a troubling tone.

Everyone reacted to the news in their own way. Gray cursed under his breath, Erza looked to be mentally preparing their next move, and Natsu clenched his fists in anger. The pink-haired mage tried to control the flames overtaking his body, but quickly lost the fight to his own emotions.

Not quite sure what he going to say, Natsu opened his mouth to speak. Before he got out a single syllable, Gray placed a hand on the man's burning shoulder. The act calmed him, at least for the moment, and allowed Erza to speak up in his place.

"This has to be connected" the woman said matter-of-factly, "Wendy, please tell me you found something during your search?."

The small girl was obviously depressed, but the question did gain a quick reaction. "I...I think so" she answered softly, unfolding the map she'd been holding in her hands. "I checked off everywhere we've searched. There's only one place left."

"What?" Gray asked, "we divided up the entire city. Didn't we?."

Natsu took the map offered to him, fighting back his anger long enough to look it over. Most of the map was nothing more than a sea of red X's. But, like Wendy had told them, one spot was still left unchecked. Directly in the middle of the map, the only part not flooded with red marker, was Gurian's estate.

The second his mind put the pieces together, Natsu turned the map in his hands into a pile of ashes. Holding back his flames was now impossible. He knew exactly where his missing friends were, and exactly who to punish if they were hurt.


	10. Flames of Rage

**Episode 10: Flames of Rage**

No one spoke during the ride back to Gurian's estate. Rather, every mage stared blindly out their magic-mobile, their minds trying desperately to accept everything they'd just learned. To find out Soveria's Mayor could very well be the source of its current state, that was hard enough to take in. But it wasn't what had prompted the team's shared silence, not by a long shot.

Knowing a friend's life was in danger, it was never a feeling Natsu could get used to. Whether it was Gray's attempt to cast his fateful spell on Galuna Island, Erza's near death experience at the tower of heaven, or seeing everyone unable to stand at the feet of Master Hades. Every instance had put him on the brink of despair, and this one was no different. If anything happened to either of his friends, he'd make sure Gurian paid the ultimate price.

_'Whenever I'm in serious danger, I know it's only a matter of time before my hero comes to save me.'_

Lucy's voice played on a loop inside his head. Whether or not she'd meant it to, Natsu knew that sentence would stick with him for some time. Honestly, he'd never thought of himself as a hero. Of course he'd do anything to help his friends, but it was never because he wanted to be some_ 'knight in shining armor'_.

He fought to protect the people he loved, it was that simple.

"We're here" Erza said from the driver's seat, "everyone be ready."

Before the magic-mobile even came to a full stop, Natsu opened his door and stepped onto the sidewalk. Gurian's castle loomed over him, its tallest spire creating a faint shadow that blanketed most of the street. Standing in said shadow, the pink-haired mage felt his rage increase the second Lucy's scent entered his nostrils. Even if he couldn't pinpoint her exact location, it was clear to him that the girl was close by.

With that thought to fuel his flames, the castle's unguarded front gate didn't stand a chance. Two flaming fists easily bent the metal bars, enough for him (and his close following friends) to slip through. Inside the castle, the group was met with one empty hallway after another. Not surprising given the cities current situation, but a tad suspicious nonetheless.

"I still don't get it" Gray said in a clearly frustrated tone, "if Gurian really is the guy behind all of this, why send out a guild request in the first place?. He had to know we'd figure things out eventually."

Erza looked as though she was going to answer, but instead went silent when they reached a four way split in the hall. When Natsu's nose led them in the right direction, only then did the woman speak, keeping her voice in a hushed whisper. "We still don't know for sure if the Mayor's to blame, but whoever is either needs Lucy, or wants to lead us directly into a trap."

"Even if that's the case, we don't have much of a choice in the matter" Carla added. "The enemy gained the upper hand by capturing Lucy. If we want to save her, we'll have to play by their rules for the time being."

By the time their conversation ended, Natsu had successfully smelled his way through most of the castle. Lucy's scent grew more intense with every step, reaching its peak outside a door the pink-haired mage found instantly familiar. _'Gurian's office' _he thought to himself_, 'Lucy smells like she's right beside me, she has to be inside.'_

No sooner had the thought entered his mind, than he anxiously wrapped a hand around the door's knob. The sight of Gurian's empty office made his heart drop, but only for a second. It wasn't coming from her, but something in the room was giving off Lucy's scent. Walking further inside, he opened his mouth to share this thought with his friends.

He didn't get the chance however. With only a quick glance around the small room, it became obvious to him where Lucy's scent was coming from. Walking over to the desk in the middle of the room, Natsu picked up Lucy's whip and shot a knowing glance to his friends. "We're getting closer. Start looking around."

Everyone shared a short nod before splitting up to search the room. For Natsu, that meant immediately flipping over the desk to look underneath it. As he ran a gloved hand over the floor, Erza approached him from behind. Crouching low so only they could hear each other speak, she placed a soft hand over his own, which was desperately clutching to the hilt of Lucy's whip.

"What's going on with you Natsu?" the woman asked lightly, "I'm worried too, but It's been years since I've felt this much anger coming from you."

Refusing to meet his friend's eyes, Natsu kept his gaze aimed at the floor. "We don't have time to talk" he answered, perhaps with more anger than he intended. "Please, just keep looking."

"Oh come on, would you just tell her already?" Gray said impatiently from the other side of the room. "Lucy told me the day we got here, and Wendy overheard you two talking earlier, I'm sure Carla and her have put the pieces together by now."

"What!?" Natsu screamed, shooting a quick glare to the small girl in the far corner. Wendy looked away the moment their eyes locked, a thick blush on her face in a matter of seconds.

"Damn it". Cursing under his breath, Natsu felt a hard lump begin to form in his throat. Even though every fiber of his being was screaming 'run!', the man forced himself to his feet. "Alright alright" he said while turning to face Erza, "I guess there's really no reason to hide it any longer. See...the thing is...well...it's like this."

"Oh for god's sake!" sighing loudly, Gray shoved his way into the conversation, pushing Natsu to the floor in the process. "While they were here alone, Lucy started to get a crush on Natsu, which she told him about when we left to get food during the ball. Apparently Natsu felt the same way, because they almost kissed shortly after, but the big baby chickened out at the last second."

"How the do you even know all of that!?" Natsu asked.

"I could see you from my spot in line" Gray answered simply, "hell with the scene you two were making, I'm surprised the entire ballroom wasn't watching."

The explanation was given entirely in one long breath, but Erza caught every word regardless. In response, the scarlet-haired mage picked Natsu up off the ground, and painfully slammed his head into her armor plated chest. "Oh Natsu. Why didn't you tell me sooner?" the woman asked in a _slightly_ melodramatic tone. "I can only imagine how you must feel right now, your true love taken away in the blink of an eye. No wonder you've been so moody."

In far too much pain to be embarrassed, Natsu let out a loud groan as Erza continued to squeeze. "Ow!, ya know this hurts a lot more than you realize!."

When Erza finally released him, the pink-haired mage fell to the floor once more. From that position, a strange feeling caused his nose to twitch. Before he could mention the feeling to his friends, an almost inaudible pounding caught everyone's attention. Following the noise, all five mages were drawn towards the room's back wall.

A row of three separate bookcases took up the wall, but it was the middle shelf that the noise seemed to be coming from.

"What the hell?" Natsu asked his equally puzzled friends, "it sounds like someone's pounding, inside the bookcase?."

"Yuck!" Wendy yelled in disgust, the sudden outburst turning all heads in her direction. "Sorry. I just realized it but, the air in this room tastes terrible." Without any attempt to explain herself, Wendy licked her finger and moved closer to the middle bookcase.

After running the wet appendage over the bulk of the area, she stepped back and pointed to a single book on the top shelf. "That one right there, someone pull it."

It was Erza who followed the girl's instructions. When the book was pulled out halfway, a solid '_thunk_' stopped it from going any further. Soon after, the entire bookcase shifted backwards, receding into the floor as all five mages took a curious step forward. The newly revealed doorway led into a long staircase, which continued farther than the eye could see down a pitch-black passage.

Sniffing the mysterious new area, Natsu caught an extremely strong scent directly below him. That, along with several light tugs on his pants, drew his gaze downward. When his eyes were met those of a small white spirit, the man immediately fell to his knees.

"Plue!" Natsu said with a gasp, dropping Lucy's whip to pick up the tiny spirit. "How did you get here?. Where's Lucy?."

Obviously tired from running up the steps, Plue managed a short dance before collapsing from exhaustion. Thankfully, those few quick motions were all Natsu needed to fully understand the situation. Knowing his friends would follow, the pink-haired mage took off down the staircase, carrying an unconscious Plue in his arms.

"Hey man, you gonna fill us in here?" Gray asked as he chased after his friend.

"On the way, just pick up the pace!."

* * *

Lucy opened her eyes alongside a sudden jolt of pain, thrown onto her knees as a loud slam sounded from behind. Her vision was blurred, but she could still hear the muffled sound of voices all around her. Groggily standing to her feet, she began to violently rub at her eyes, a desperate attempt to regain her sight. The action proved successful, but the moment she took in her surroundings, she came to regret her decision.

Trapped inside a tall cylindrical tube, the room outside her strange prison was hard to decipher. Squinting her eyes, she could just make out the room's rectangular design, as well as several other tubes similar to her own that lined the both sides of the room. Other than that, all she had to go on was the voices she could hear, which seemed to be slowly nearing her position.

Prepared to fight her way out, she grabbed for the keys hanging from her belt, only to realize with a tinge of fear that they were missing. Going for her whip went the same way. Without either, she had no means to defend herself. That thought alone was enough to send her heartbeat out of control, but a series of deep breaths stopped her from panicking.

_'Get a hold o__f yourself__!'_ she mentally scolded herself, leaning on the back of the tube as she continued to breath heavily. _'You're a Fairy Tail wizard!. You just have to stay strong, __remember what your friends would do in this situation.'_

Her eyes glued to the back of her hand, she didn't notice the approaching voices had now gone silent. It was only when a light tap on the glass tube caught her attention, that the girl looked up, clenching both fists at the silent man in front of her.

"Gurian!" she yelled to insure her voice was heard, "what the hell is going on!?, let me out of this thing!."

Gurian's expression was hard to make out through the tube's tinted glass, but it was clear when he spoke that the man was far from afraid. "I am sorry Miss Heartfilia, but I just can't do that. It took months of planning to get you where you are now."

"W...What? Lucy asked, trying not to let her voice tremble.

"Sorry again, I suppose that came out wrong". Running his hand along the glass, Gurian walked in a continuous circle around the girl's prison. "None of this was made for you _specifically_, any Celestial spirit mage would've been sufficient. All I really needed were a few Zodiac spirit keys."

"My keys!". Lucy smashed her closed fists onto the glass in front of her, two fierce eyes locking with Gurian as he walked by. "What have you done with them!?. If any one of them are hurt, I swear I'll-."

"They're safe" the man interrupted, "at least...for the moment. Whether or not they remain that way, well that all depends on your cooperation my dear."

Lucy continued to pound on her glass prison, resulting only in hurting her own hands. When it was clear she didn't have the strength to break free, the girl finally fell to her knees. "I won't let you hurt my spirits, but that doesn't mean I'm just going to lye down and do what you say."

Ignoring the pacing man's snide laugh, she continued to speak. "It's clear your daughter didn't teach you everything about Fairy Tail. Someone who'd do this to a city he swore to protect, no one in my guild would ever help you."

At the last of the girl's words, Gurian paused his stride for a moment. "Daughter?" he asked earnestly, "oh, I'd forgotten about that. My dear, I'm afraid my daughter does not exist. She was just a spare of the moment excuse, meant to keep my knowledge of your guild from raising suspicion."

"You bastard!" Lucy scream, her previous anger now restored. "Why are you doing all this!?. What could possibly be worth the life of every mage in the city!?."

Her questions were answered with a long silence, after which Gurian finally stopped his looping for good. "That should do" the man said to himself, "lower the tube!, she's not going anywhere."

Another short silence, and the glass prison around Lucy withdrew into the ground. The room around her was now crystal clear, but a single step forward made it apparent she still wasn't free. A painful shock traveled through her body, activated by a wall of encryption magic that appeared by her feet. Reluctantly stepping back into the boundaries of the spell, the girl then took a closer look around the room.

Fortunately, the other tubes she'd seen before were empty. It calmed her somewhat to know the rest of her friends weren't captured, but that also meant she was on her own for the time being. And judging by the cavernous look of her surroundings, along with the ridiculous number of guards and shadow mages walking around the room, she'd be that way for some time.

"You asked why I'm doing this?" Gurian said from his spot standing beside her, "I suppose you've earned the right to know, seeing as you'll be giving your life to help me achieve my goal."

With the dark spoken rant, the man motioned for Lucy to turn around. Following his instructions, the girl felt the color drained from her face. Her legs nearly buckled at the sight that met her eyes, but she forced her mind to accept it, mainly to keep herself from losing what little remained of her composure.

Roughly inches from where her prison ended, the floor dropped off entirely, leaving a giant tunnel that looked to go for miles into the darkness. But it was what stood inside the tunnel that left her speechless, a sight she'd hoped to go the rest of her life without seeing again. A sparking crystal tower rose up from the tunnel's center, its pointed top nearly grazing the roof's rocky ceiling.

"A lacrima!" Lucy screamed, using all her self control to not strike at the magical barrier around her. "That's the final step in creating the R-system, you're trying to bring someone back to life!."

Gurian smiled, taking in a singe deep breath as he took in the sight alongside Lucy. "It's taken so long to slowly drain the city of its magical energy. One day at a time, this lacrima has drained the cities mages, taking every last bit of magic from anyone not strong enough to fight it back."

"You'd let everyone in the city die?" Lucy asked, her tone more bewildered than angry. "Just to bring one person back from the dead?."

Unlike her other questions, this one seemed to grab the man's attention. Turning to meet the girl's eyes, Gurian reached deep into his suit's pocket. "Yes" he answered simply, pulling Lucy's keys out from his pocket. "And you're going to help me, whether you want to or not."

When he finished speaking, a total of fifteen guards walked up and formed a line behind Gurian. A single key was handed to each guard, and all of them then started towards a different tube on either side of the room.

"No!. Stop!" Lucy pleaded, fighting the pain as she relentlessly pounded on her magical prison. "Do whatever you want with me, just leave my friends alone!. Please, I'm begging you!."

Her words did nothing to stop the inevitable, but they did catch the attention of a single guard, enough to turn his head as he continued to walk. His gaze stuck on Lucy, the guard neglected to notice the large rock by his feet. As a result, he fell to the ground with a hard thud, accidentally losing his grip on the key in his hand.

One second on the ground, and Plue summoned himself in a small ball of golden energy. The small spirit quickly looked around the room, his eyes eventually landing on Lucy.

"Plue, run, get out of here!" Lucy screamed, "find Natsu and the others, they're the only ones who can stop this!."

Plue wasted no time in obeying his orders. Carefully avoiding the attempts of several guards to grab him, the small spirit made his way across the room and disappeared into a passage in the back wall.

"Oh just let him go!" Gurian ordered, "damn thing's useless anyway."

His attention back on Lucy, a wicked smile crossed the man's face as his guards dropped her keys into the other tubes. Unable to hide her shock, Lucy went wide eyed as every one of her spirits were forcibly summoned into their physical forms. "No!. That's impossible!."

"No my dear, it's quite possible" a gleeful gaze working its way around the room, Gurian stopped on Lucy once again. "You see with the combined magic of a Celestial mage and her spirits, I'll rip a hole directly into the spirit world, and use its legendary magical energy to finally kick start the R-system!."

Walking in between the two rows of tubes, Gurian proudly clasped his hands behind his back. "And with your idiot friends still blindly searching the city, there's no one left who's strong enough to stop me."


	11. Natsu vs Gurian

**Episode 11: Natsu vs Gurian**

For every step of progress he made, Natsu felt the knot in his stomach tighten. Eyes squinted as he ran through Soveria's massive sewer system, the pink-haired mage fought back an overwhelming urge to scream his friend's names. Both Lucy and Happy smelled as if they were standing right next to him. That, along with the information Plue had given him, pushed his rage to its breaking point.

The rest of his friends were fairing no better, even if they did a much better job of hiding it. Now positive who was behind the cities suffering, as well as Lucy and Happy's abduction, all five mages were more than ready to finish their quest.

Turning one final time in the maze of tunnels, Natsu increased his pace considerably at the first sign of light. His eyes took mere seconds to adjust after running blindly into the light, but that wasn't necessarily a good thing. The room in front of him was almost too much to take in at once. Not only was it filled with a guilds worth of baddies, but it also contained all fourteen of Lucy's spirits, all seemingly unconscious inside strange glass tubes.

The worst of it though, was the sight directly across from him. Lucy's body was motionless in a prison similar to her spirits, a defeated look on the girl's face, one that was aimed solely at the man standing beside her. Gurian had his back turned to their side of the room, and so far, no one had noticed their presence. Opening his mouth, Natsu made sure both of those problems were dealt with quickly.

"Gurian!" he screamed, turning every head in the room his direction.

"Natsu" Lucy said in a relieved tone, a warm smile gracing her lips. "I knew you'd come."

A few guards started to approach the group of mages, but stopped in their tracks when Gurian raised his hand towards them. With a borderline evil grin on his face, the sharply dressed man walked into the middle of the room.

"Well well, this is a surprise" he said teasingly. "You lot caught on faster than I anticipated, but you're still too late to save anyone. Any second now these Celestial spirits will be no more, and my portal to the spirit world will provide me with an unlimited amount of magica-."

During his monologue, the man made the mistake of turning his back. It was only for a moment, but it was all Natsu needed to land a satisfying fire fueled punch. The surprise attack sent Gurian flying across the room, disappearing down the large gap behind Lucy's prison. In the next couple of seconds, the crowded room erupted into one giant battleground.

Every guard and shadow mage present charged the group of mages. While everyone else formed a tight knit circle, ready to repel any attack thrown at them, Natsu ran across the room as fast as he could. A few unfortunate guards tried to stop him from reaching Lucy, but resulted only in slowing him down a step. By the time he reached his friend, the man had a trail of unconscious guards behind him.

"Lucy!" he yelled in relief, "I'm so glad you're okay. Where's Happy?."

Before the smiling girl could answer his question, a string of muffled words drew his gaze downward. If it weren't for the seriousness of the situation, he may have managed a laugh at the sight by his feet. Happy's voice was coming from under a plain cardboard box, which was held in place by a large rock placed on its top. Swatting the rock with his hand, Natsu held back a grin as his furry friend liberated himself.

"Natsu, Gurian's building an R-system just like the tower of heaven!" the cat explained quickly, "I'm not sure who he's trying to bring back, but all the cities magic is being held inside that lacrima!."

At the last of his words, Happy aimed a paw at the giant structure behind him. Seeing the lacrima, Natsu's reaction was identical to that of Lucy's. After a few seconds spent in a wide-eyed stare, the man pulled himself together by shaking his head. "That doesn't matter right now" he said dismissively, "we need to get Lucy and her spirits out of here, then we can figure out what to do about the city."

Happy opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off by Lucy. "Natsu" the girl said in a soft tone, one only the dragon slayer and herself could hear. "I'm scared too, but you're the only one here who's strong enough to stop Gurian. We'll find a way to deal with everything else."

"Like hell!" Natsu screamed while flailing his arms, unknowingly knocking out a guard approaching him from behind. "I won't just leave you here like this!." At the end of his outburst, a slight tug on his hair caught the man's attention. Instantly aware that Plue was still riding on his shoulder, he set the small spirit by his feet.

From that position, Plue offered a short dance, one that Happy heartily nodded along with. "He's right Natsu" the cat added, "you're not the only one who wants to save Lucy. Leave this to us, you stick with what you're good at."

In the short silence that followed, Natsu looked back and forth between his three friends. It was with much reluctance that nodded his head. Meeting Lucy's eyes, the man placed his hand flat on the magical barrier between them. The amount of lighting magic that shocked him would've killed any other mage, but he simply smiled, an action Lucy couldn't help but mimic.

Unfortunately, in what was quickly becoming a tradition between the two, their moment was short-lived. In the time it took to blink, Natsu was sent sailing backwards, his body wrapped in a roaring claw or crimson flame.

"Natsu!" Lucy screamed, pounding on the barrier of her prison as a flash of gray rushed passed her.

* * *

The flames around Natsu's body got increasingly tighter the farther he flew. Gurian's attack had sent him not just out of the room, but deep into the darkness of Soveria's sewers. While his nose fought with the stink of the new surroundings, the rest of his body lashed out, forcing back the crimson flames just enough to free himself. Unable to see much of the area around him, the pink-haired mage covered himself in fire as he hit the ground feet first.

Digging his boots into the ground to stop himself, he caught an early glimpse of his enemy emerging from the darkness. Gurian looked to be a shadow of former self, certainly nothing like the man that they'd met when accepting this quest. A once clean pressed suit was now covered in thick layers of dirt, his gray hair was a tangled mess atop his head, and the look in his eyes showed no signs of who he once was. Natsu had never seen anyone so obviously on the brink of insanity, the sight was just as heartbreaking as it was unsettling.

When his enemy came to a dead stop in the air above him, the pink-haired mage fully understood how he'd gotten back to them so quickly. Two demonic looking wings, seemingly made from the same flames he used to attack, were holding Gurian several feet above the ground. This only added to the man's frightening image, as well as give off a blood red tint that filled the tunnel around him.

"I can't believe you Gurian" Natsu said, his tone earnestly upset. "It couldn't be more clear why you're doing this. And truthfully...I can understand where you're coming from." Smashing his fists together, the man aimed a flaming punch as he jumped forward. "But do you honestly think this is what she'd want!?."

Gurian easily dodged his attack, and caused the man to turn in the air as he hit the ground. "If the R-system worked, how the hell would you explain all this!?. If Trisha was anything like how you described her, she'd never forgive what you're trying to do!."

Apparently his chosen response, Gurian lashed out with two long shots of crimson flame. "All I'm doing is reclaiming the life that was taken from me!" the man yelled dementedly, "if a few people have to die to make that happen, then so be it!."

Natsu rushed his opponent's attack, sidestepping both shots to jump in the air once more. "But you have to know that's not what she'd want!" he screamed. Directly in front of Gurian, the pink-haired mage punched and kicked with all his strength. "Waking up in a city that was slaughtered to resurrect her, she'd probably take the life you sacrificed everything to give her!."

Very few of his hits actually landed, but enough did to stagger Gurian backward. A flap of his wings to steady himself, and the insane man instantly recovered from the attack. "Stop talking like you knew my beloved!" he ordered while aiming a swipe of flames in a downward strike. "You have no idea how powerful my love has made me, nothing can stop me from bringing her back!."

"We'll see about that!." Launching himself with two fire fueled feet, Natsu tore directly through his opponent's attack, landing one of his own in the form of a hard upward kick. Successfully breaking Gurian's defense, the man made instant use of the opening he created. "Fire dragon iron fist!."

This time, it was Gurian who went flying into the darkness, but Natsu wasn't about to stop there. "Fire dragon roar!" the three words sent an inferno of flame down the tunnel, which erupted into a large explosion once they hit his opponent. By the time his feet hit the ground, Natsu was already in a mad dash down the tunnel. Running headfirst into the smoke caused by his own attack, he sent another fist ablaze, ready to strike at even the slightest movement.

When something above him caught his eye, he did just that. Unfortunately, Gurian's crimson flames were unaffected by his attack, and continued to once again wrap him in their painful bind. No longer able to move, Natsu was lifted up through the smoke and out an open manhole. After being slammed into the ground, a slightly blurred street entered his vision, one lit by the moonlight shining down from a starry sky.

Natsu stood back up as the flames around him disappeared, shaking his head wildly to regain his sight. A quick look around found him to be just outside Gurian's estate, mere feet from the magic-mobile they'd used to get here in the first place. Once his mind wrapped around the sudden change of scenery, he turned a fury-filled gaze back to the demented man flying above him.

"Oh man, talk about a bad move" Natsu chided, covering his body in flames. "Giving me more room to let loose, you just dug your own grave old man!."

* * *

"Damn it!. What the hell is up with this barrier?." Gray took a single step back from Lucy's magical prison, falling to one knee as a painful arc of lightning magic traveled through his body. The man's grip on his ice sword was loosening with every strike, but even after several dozen failed attempts, he refused to drop the weapon.

"Gray!, behind you!."

Lucy's warning came just in time. Mustering a small reserve of strength, the ice mage spun around and clashed swords with a fast approaching guard. For a moment, he began to buckle under the power of his armored opponent, but a sudden shove brought that moment to an end. As the guard stumbled backwards, Gray traded in his sword for a massive hammer.

One swing of the new weapon sent his opponent flying, and smashed him into the tube containing an unconscious Virgo. After being shocked with a serious amount of lightning, the guard hit the ground in a motionless slump. While he was turned around, Gray took a second to check in on his friends, who were busy keeping the bulk of Gurian's forces distracted.

In the midst of a battle with shadow mages and armored guards alike, Erza, Wendy, and Carla were doing an excellent job of holding their own. Erza, clad in her cat-like soaring armor, was flashing in between enemies, landing several well placed blows in the process. At the same time, Wendy and Carla were flying high above the carnage, the former adding to Erza's agility, while the latter dodged shot after shot of shadow magic.

"How's it going in there?" Gray asked hopefully, turning back around to face Lucy's prison. His question was aimed not at the girl herself, but at the small contraption under her feet. Seeing several lines running from the tubes only metal portion, it had been his idea to send Happy and Plue inside, in the hopes that the two small creatures could find a way to free their friend. It sounded like a smart move inside his head, but now, he wasn't so sure.

"Uh...I'm not really sure" Happy answered, his voice slightly muffled from inside the metal contraption. "All these wires look the same, I'm not sure which ones to cut."

"Just cut them all!" Gray yelled, his patience with the blue cat running thin.

After a short silence, Happy spoke again, his tone clearly apprehensive. "_Okay_, here goes nothing. Lucy, if this kills you, I was the one who left that fish in your panty drawer."

"Duh" Lucy retorted, seconds before the glass portion of her prison raised back into position. "Hey Happy, whatever you just did, it just made things worse."

"I didn't do anything yet" Happy said in reply.

Gray shared a curious look with his trapped friend, one that led him to inspect his surroundings a little closer. Now that he was looking for anything suspicious, it didn't take long to find something that perfectly matched that description. Near the top of the room's left wall, a wide glass window was carved into the stone. Inside the window, a human-shaped shadow instantly caught his eye.

"Sit tight Lucy" the man said with a grin, "I'll have you out of there in no time."

Running straight towards the wall, Gray placed a closed fist flat against his palm. "Ice make sword!." the spell created not just one, but two extremely sharp ice swords. Throwing one directly towards the glass window above him, he then tightening his grip on the other one as he jumped into the air.

The window shattered from the strike of his thrown sword, allowing his body to pass through a second later. Finding himself in a small room, Gray immediately looked to the shocked guard standing across from him. A blade to his throat was meant to scare the guard into dropping his weapon, but instead his opponent simply stood in place.

"That control panel" Gray said to the guard, gesturing to a complicated looking device along the side wall. "Use it to free my friend and her spirits, or I'll step over your corpse and do it myself!."

The verbal threat, like its physical counterpart, had no effect on the armored guard. In fact, even though Gray had presented no opening for him to do so, the guard suddenly attempted to knock the ice sword from his hands. Caught by surprise from such a stupid move, the ice mage jumped back, switching his sword for an oversized cannon.

"What's wrong with you?!" Gray yelled in a scolding tone, "I'm serious, let Lucy go or else!." Surprising him yet again, the guard set off in a mad dash across the room, his sword's tip raised directly at the ice mage. "Damn it, you asked for this!."

With one pull of his cannon's trigger, Gray sent the guard back against the wall, knocked unconscious from the shattered ice ball scattered all around him. The ice mage let his weapon disappear during the walk to his fallen opponent. His curiosity getting the better of him, he bent down at the guard's side and slowly removed his helmet. Despite being unconscious, the light skinned man underneath looked perfectly normal.

"I wonder why he wouldn't surrender" Gray asked himself while further inspecting the man's face. On a whim, he decided to force the man's eyelids back open. When he did, a strange feeling of unease filled the air around him. At the same time, pitch-black magic seeped out through the guard's eyes, which caused the unconscious body to convulse before once again going limp.

Cursing under his breath, Gray ran to the shattered window. "Erza, don't hurt the guards!" he screamed to the scarlet-haired mage, who was still slashing at everything in her path. "It's the dark guild!, they're controlling them somehow!."

"Really?" Erza asked mid-swing. Clad in her Purgatory armor, the deadly-looking woman was unable to stop her massive sword from taking out a group of guards. "Oops, sorry about that."

"Miss Erza!" Wendy called from above, "if you could take out the dark guild entirely, maybe that would free the guards from their control!."

Sharing a quick nod with the young girl, Erza launched herself into the air in a flash of golden energy. While airborne, her lightning empress armor appeared over her body. Staff in hand, she hit the ground in a crouched position, remaining motionless in the seconds that followed. One at a time, a fierce lightning strike took out every shadow mage in the room.

The guards were left untouched from her room clearing attack, but fell to the ground nonetheless, all secreting a small amount of shadow magic in the process. From his vantage point high along the wall, Gray couldn't help but smile down at his friends. For a moment, the room went quiet. It was the first peaceful moment the ice mage could remember having all day, he knew it would never last.

"Gray!" Lucy's voice screamed from inside her prison, drawing the attention of every conscious head in the room. One look over at the girl, and it was obvious what had caused her to scream. Even from so far away, it was clear to Gray that something was starting to fill Lucy's tube. The strange liquid was impossible to make out through the tube's tinted glass, but judging by the girl's reaction, it definitely wasn't anything good.

As the rest of his friends ran to Lucy's side, Gray turned around and hunched over the console in the back corner. His pulse increasing by the second, he began to viciously push each and every button on the console. The act brought no triumphant cheers from outside the small room, so he assumed it'd made no difference.

"Damn!" he screamed, smashing both fists onto the console. Running back to the broken window, a single leap took him halfway across the room, where he hit the unforgiving ground in a roll. "The control's are useless" he said as he ran to join his friends, "back to square one."

By the time he'd finished speaking, the ice mage had summoned a large hammer into his hands. Continuing his brutal assault on Lucy's prison, he tried his best to ignore the electricity that flowed relentlessly through him.

"I don't understand" Wendy said, her voice trembling slightly. "None of the other tubes are filling with water."

"It's not water!" Lucy answered in a raised voice, apparently unable to hide her fear. "It's too thick, and I think it's sticking to my legs!."

After a short silence, Erza's eyes went wide. Rather than explain first off, the scarlet-haired mage changed back into her Purgatory armor. Joining Gray in his attempt to break the girl's prison, she finally decided to explain her realization. "It's ether-nano!" she screamed, "if she's left inside it for too long, Lucy will be sacrificed into the R-system!. She'll be killed in exchange for the resurrection of a single person!."

"It's getting harder to breath!" Lucy called out.

"Try to keep the ether-nano from touching you!" Erza demanded, swinging her oversized sword in a series of brutal arcs.

A second to shake off the pain overtaking him, and Gray pushed his magic to its limit for one final strike. Shrouded in a magical aura, his ice hammer successfully shattered the encryption over Lucy's prison. Unfortunately, doing so caused a large wave of lightning magic to pour throughout the room, knocking everyone several feet away from their trapped friend.

It didn't amount to much physical damage, as everyone managed to pull themselves back to their feet, but it was enough of a shock to shatter the tubes holding Lucy's spirits. One by one, the spirits hit the ground, and slowly started to regain consciousness.

Erza managed a thin smile at the sight, but as some of the stronger spirits opened their eyes, she aimed hers back across the room. "Lucy!."

Where the woman expected to see her friend liberated from her prison, she instead saw a completely filled glass tube. Gray's attack only destroyed the magical encryption, not the prison itself. Lucy was now entirely encased in the lacrima's energy, an experience the scarlet-haired mage knew all too well.

No one else had time to react to the sight. In the blink of an eye, Erza was in a mad dash across the room, leaping gracefully across bodies in only a red hakama and bandages. One slash of her sword shattered the glass prison, and sent Lucy's body falling into her open arms. Barely avoiding the rush of ether-nano, the woman jumped back beside the rest of her friends.

By this time, most of Lucy's spirits were back on their feet, and the few that weren't had disappeared back into their own world. Those that remained, along with everyone else, formed a tight circle around Erza, watching silently as she lowered Lucy onto the ground.

"Is...is she okay?" Wendy asked lightly.

On her knees by the girl's side, Erza felt her eyes begin to water at the sight below her. It took all her strength to do so, but she eventually forced herself to peer inside Lucy's mouth. At the first sign off a bright blue liquid, she ruthlessly punched the ground. "She...swallowed the ether-nano" she said in a defeated tone, "only Natsu's been able to live through that, I'm not-."

It was by far the last thing she expected, but the scarlet-haired woman was cut off by a hand gripping her forearm. Lucy managed a quick smile when their eyes met, but it was almost instantly replaced with a series of savage coughs and gags. Rolling to her side, the girl vomited a painful amount of ether-nano onto the ground.

Half screaming and half crying, she continued to vomit for several minutes, unable to speak even a single word as her friends watched in horror. As this equally agonizing scene played out, Erza stood to her feet, silently gesturing to Loke to gather the girl's keys. When that order had been filled out, the scarlet-haired mage summoned Lucy's whip in a flash of golden energy.

With both the girl's weapons in her hands, Erza knelt down in front of Lucy, forcing their eyes to meet when she spoke. "Listen Lucy, it hurts to say this, but you should be dead right now. The fact that you're not is nothing short of a miracle, but if you want to stay that way, you _have_ to burn off the ether-nano inside you."

Lucy's eyes were barely staying open, and all her strength was going into not puking all over her friend. "I...I don't think...I can stand" the girl said in between gags, her voice wet due to the liquid still in her throat.

"You won't have to" Happy said with a smile, already grabbing onto the girl's back.

"Ether-nano is nothing but concentrated magical energy" Erza explained in a rushed tone, "it won't be a pleasant experience, but you _can_ control if you try hard enough."

Lucy attempted to swallow, and nearly chocked as a result. Closing her eyes, she sat motionless for what felt like hours, but was closer to a minute or two. Both slowly and jerkily, she reached out and accepted her weapons from Erza, who stood back up as a pulsating blue aura enveloped the girl's body.


	12. Celestial Inferno

**Episode 12: Celestial Inferno**

Gurian's crimson flames moved through the air like a bullet, and were just as difficult to avoid. It took all of Natsu's concentration to dodge the number of attacks thrown at him. Forced to jump around the street every few seconds, it felt like a century since he'd gotten an opportunity to attack. Thankfully, after one final missed shot, his enemies assault came to an end.

"This is quite the disappointment Salamander" Gurian said distastefully, while coming to a sudden stop in the air above his opponent. "I've heard of your strength for years now. Tales of a Dragon Slayer inconceivable in his power, one who'd escaped even death after seven years in the grave. What a shame to find out it was all talk."

From below the demented man, Natsu clenched his fists in anger. "All talk huh?, we'll just see about that!." Launching himself into the air, the pink-haired mage slammed into Gurian with a body covered in flames. A satisfying groan sounded when his head connected with Gurian's chest, but it didn't last nearly as long as he'd hoped.

Seconds after his attack hit, the demented man had a strong grip on both of Natsu's shoulders. Turned against him by a simple spin, the momentum of his own attack sent the pink-haired mage flying. While in the air, he had just enough time to turn his body. His boots were first to hit the nearest building.

It was a quick save, one he intended to take full advantage of. Seeing that Gurian still had yet to turn in his direction, he jumped straight off the building's wall. This time, he aimed his fist ahead of him, tightening it with all his strength as he flew through the air.

"Oh no you don't!." Gurian disappeared in the blink of an eye, reappearing directly behind the fast traveling mage. "Did you really think I'd fall for the same trick twice?." A hand of solid flame wrapped tight around his leg, and Natsu was immediately sent back the way he came.

This time, he had no chance to reposition himself. Knocking the wind from his lungs, his back slammed against the same building from before. The crater he left crumbled as he fell to the street below.

"Ugh, damn it" Natsu swore under his breath. Standing groggily to his feet, he fought to ignore the painful tremors traveling through him. Every bone in his body had taken damage from the fall. Thanks to his own attacks, his magical energy was also dangerously low. When those factors combined, it made for a wizard on the brink of death.

For any other mage, this would've been the time to turn tail and run. For Natsu, it was simply the time to stop playing around. Lucy and the others were counting on him to take care of this guy. If he had even the slightest chance of doing that, he'd have to get serious.

"Alright Gurian" he said through gritted teeth. It took all he had not to hold his side, which had taken most of the impact from his fall. "I'm gonna give you one last chance to surrender!, cause if not I'll have to-."

"Have to what!?" Gurian screamed from the air above, "I've researched your exploits Salamander. You've never killed before and you won't do so now!."

It probably wasn't the response he expected, but Gurian's words caused Natsu to droop his head. Completely ignoring his opponent, the pink-haired mage looked instead to his own hands.

"You're right" he said solemnly, tightening two flame covered fists. "I'll admit, the thought crossed my mind. After you kidnapped my friends, and tried to hurt Lucy. But I'm not a murderer, not like you. It doesn't matter though." With an ear-piercing roar, the mages flames rose to cover his entire body. "After I'm through with you, you'll be praying for!-huh?."

Even with his dragon enhanced senses, Natsu couldn't entirely make out what caused his opponent to vanish. The only hint he got was when a familiar scent filled the air around him. It was the scent of ladies perfume, and it never ceased to make him smile. "Lucy."

A million questions racing through his mind, he took off down the street at a swift run. The knowledge that Lucy was free restored him somewhat, but his lack of magic still took a toll on his movements. After running the few blocks between Lucy and himself, he was fighting to stay on his feet. Of course, that all changed when he looked at his friend.

Something about Lucy...it just wasn't right. Her eyes were slanted, her fists clenched, and her gaze glued straight ahead. She was also giving off an insane amount of magical energy. It nearly matched his own in intensity, and was coming off as a pure blue aura around the girl's body.

"Lucy!" he screamed, an attempt to get her attention. "What...what the hell happened to you?."

It wasn't Lucy who answered him, but the blue cat holding onto her back. "Uh, I don't think Lucy can talk right now Natsu" the cat said in a serious tone. "She swallowed a bunch of ether-nano from the R-system."

"What!?." Taking a single step forward, Natsu helplessly reached towards his hovering friend. It was no use, the girl's magical aura tore right through his flames, directly singeing his gloved hand. "But _I_ barely survived that. Will she be alright?."

"Erza said she could burn up the magical energy before it damages her body. That's why we're here."

Natsu nodded to his friend, and stepped back as Happy rose Lucy higher into the air. "Okay, just be careful. This guy's stronger than I thought. And his flames never leave his body, so I can't eat them to drain his power."

"We'll be fine" Happy insisted, "with this ether-nano inside her, Lucy feels just as strong as you."

* * *

The longer she floated in place, Lucy felt an unbelievable amount of pain overtake her body. She wanted to scream out, to tell Happy to keep her moving, but her mouth refused to open. Instead, her teeth remained constantly clenched. Like much of her body, which felt hard as stone as it failed to fight back the energy flowing through her.

_'Come on!'_ she screamed inside her head, _'I didn't hit you that hard, get up and fight!.'_

Gurian didn't waste time in obeying her command. Picking himself up off the ground, the man flew back into the air while wiping himself off. "You Fairies are proving quite the capable lot" he said in a somewhat casual tone. "But I've been around ether-nano long enough to know its scent. It seems your friends weren't fast enough to save you."

"That's a lie!" Happy yelled in response, "Lucy's stronger than she looks, all she has to do is use up the ether-nano's energy and she'll be fine!."

As Natsu watched wide-eyed from the street below, Gurian erupted into a fit of maniacal laughter. "Ha!, delude yourself all you want cat. Ether-nano is made up of every elemental magic in existence, someone like her could never convert it into their own energy!."

To make it clear she'd had enough of their conversation, Lucy lashed out with her whip. Gurian easily sidestepped the attack, but Happy got her point. A flap of his wings, and the cat sent her sailing forward. Nearing in on her opponent, she reached down and pulled several keys from her belt.

In a flash of golden energy, Taurus was first to appear. One punch of the bull's massive fist, and Gurian was sent sailing backwards. Before the man could stop himself, he was wrapped by Lucy's whip several times over. Caught in a magical bind, the man's wings were forcefully pinned to his back.

Taurus disappeared as Lucy passed him. Traveling at mach speed, Gurian was dragged to the street's rather abrupt end. Slammed into, and then pulled up the side of his own castle, he screamed in pain as Lucy was flown directly upwards. Now soaring high above the city, the demented man finally managed to free himself.

Happy flew back to dodge the burst of crimson flame, but refused to be put on the defensive. Looping Lucy around in a quick aerial spin, he immediately charged their opponent. Gurian attempted several lashes with his flames, but every one was either dodged, or repelled by Lucy's whip. When their eyes were close enough to meet, Lucy raised a closed fist.

Coated in condensed magical energy, the punch that followed did a surprising amount of damage. Gurian reared back, a hand raised to cover his bloodied nose. Taken off guard by the attack, he failed to notice the two keys in his opponent's hand. Sagittarius and Scorpio appeared a second later, floating in the sky on either side of the demented man.

A quiver's worth of magical arrows, and a swirling tornado of sand both hit Gurian simultaneously. The end result was a large multicolored explosion, one that violently pierced the otherwise quiet night. The two spirits disappeared after their attack. Lucy watched, unable to grin, as her opponent began his descent towards the sparkling city below.

The grin didn't last long. Neither Happy nor herself sensed the crimson claw that grabbed them. Lucy felt Happy squished tight against her back. The wind tearing at her face as she fell, she slowly managed to grip a single key from her belt. Summoned mid free-fall, Loke had no problem adjusting to the situation.

With a fist covered in golden light, the spirit grabbed hold of the flames around his friends. A single pull caused them to disperse. With them able to fly freely, Loke switched his attention to their opponent. The spirit tucked in his limbs to quicken his descent, coating his body in a fierce golden light.

As he crashed head first into Gurian, Loke's form took that of a giant lion's head. Made of his own magical energy, the lion opened a gargantuan maw, which collapsed slowly over Gurian. The attack lit up a portion of the night sky, while also causing its target to scream wildly. Taking Loke with it, the magical lion disappeared seconds before hitting the ground.

Gurian landed with a sickening thud on the street just outside his castle. Lucy was only slightly behind, stopping several feet above the crater her opponent's fall created.

* * *

Natsu's mouth was agape at the sight in front of him. In all the time they'd know each other, he'd never witnessed Lucy pull of something this incredible. Not only had she summoned several spirits in quick succession, but she'd also gotten in a physical hit of her own. And Loke's final attack, that alone would've required an absurd amount of magical power.

Simply put, he was amazed (and for the first time in his life, a little turned on). Shaking such thoughts from his mind, he anxiously left his spot on the sidelines.

"One more chance Gurian?" he asked his opponent, casually stepping to the edge of the man's crater. "I bet surrender is sounding _pretty good_ right about now."

"Never." Bloody and battered, Gurian slowly stood to his feet. The act gained a surprised gasp from Natsu and Happy, but Lucy remained silent. "I haven't lost. Any second now the R-system will have drained this city dry, and its population will be cut in half in an instant!."

As his crimson wings reappeared, the demented man was charged by Natsu and Lucy both. "Enough!" Gurian screamed, using two crimson claws to pin both his opponents to the ground. "I wanted to keep you two alive, to use your magic on the R-system, but I'm done holding back!. Prepare to witness why my crimson flames are considered a 'lost' magic!."

Natsu went wide-eyed as Gurian encased himself entirely in his own fire. The flames slowly took to the shape of his body, but they didn't stop there. Clad head to toe in blood red flames, the man continued to grow, eventually towering the buildings around him. His form the very definition of demonic, Gurian raised two massive arms towards the sky.

"Time to die Fairy Tail wizards!" a booming voice screamed towards the heavens. "You'll join this whole pathetic city in the depths of hell!."

Gurian's voice filled the night sky. Now that he was able to move, the pink-haired mage fought his pain enough to stand. One look at the demon above him, and a wide grin spread on his face. "Finally, time to really let loose. Alright Lucy, here's what I think we should...Lucy?."

At a glance over his shoulder, Natsu felt his heart drop. Unlike him, the girl hadn't gotten up from Gurian's attack.

"Lucy!" Natsu screamed, falling to knees by his friend's side. Her eyes were shut, and her skin was beginning to turn pale. Trying his best not to panic, Natsu scooped the girl into his arms. Several soft pats on her cheek gained no reaction.

"I-I don't think she got it all out Natsu" Happy said, sniveling softly on the girl's opposite side. "E-E-Erza s-s-said she could die if she d-didn't burn up the e-ether-nano."

"No!. That's not true, if I survived it she can too!." As he screamed at his friend, Natsu realized he was really just trying to convince himself. Looking down at the motionless girl in his arms, he couldn't hold back a sudden stream of tears. "This can't be happening...it can't."

His tears landed softly on Lucy cheek, causing him to wipe them away repeatedly. During that cycle, a thought entered his mind. If he'd lived through swallowing ether-nano once, why couldn't he do it again?. All he had to do was move it from Lucy's body to his own.

_'Oh god, Happy's never gonna let me live this down.'_

Slightly shifting his hold on the girl's body, Natsu placed a firm grip on the back of her head. "Sorry about this Luce, but I won't lose someone I love...not again."

It was impossible to ignore Happy's response to his actions. The moment his lips touched Lucy's, the cat went white from shock. But that ceased to matter as time went on. He could be embarrassed later, right now he had to focus.

Using his dragon lungs, Natsu sucked every last drop of ether-nano from the girl's body. The act lasted no more than a few seconds. After which, he immediately pulled back.

"Uh...Natsu?" Happy asked.

"I didn't have a choice" Natsu answered. Back on his feet, the pink-haired mage was already forced to hold his stomach. He could feel the ether-nano starting to meld with his dragon slayer magic. The same way it had back in the tower of heaven, the experience nearly brought him to his knees.

"Not that Natsu!" Happy screamed, "above us!."

Half choking, Natsu barely managed to follow his friend's gaze. When he did however, it took him seconds to regain his composure. A massive magic circle filled the night sky above Soveria. Blood red, and with a horned demon at its center, the circle bathed the entire town in its eerie light.

"What the hell!?" Natsu yelled while rubbing his throat. "What's that maniac thinking!?. An attack that big won't just wipe out the whole city, it'll destroy the R-system too!."

Happy stood by Lucy's motionless form. "Maybe not. Remember the tower of heaven Natsu, it completely absorbed a shot from the Etherion. If Gurian destroys the city, the R-system might be the only thing that's left standing. Who knows, it could even finish charging it."

Once he'd finished speaking, Natsu knew his friend was right. "Damn it. I guess we'll have to stop it then."

As both wizards began to look towards the sky, several hard coughs drew their attention back down. Lucy slowly opened her eyes, sitting up as she took in the situation around her. Before the girl could get out a single word, the magic circle above them roared to life. The sound it made could only be described as ungodly.

A cold chill traveled through Natsu's body. "Well that can't be good."

"Natsu...your face" Lucy said in a soft tone.

Raising an eyebrow at his friend's words, Natsu removed his gloves and cautiously touched his own cheek. The scales on his face weren't as pronounced as they'd been in the past, but were noticeable nonetheless. He had little time to take in the fact however. When the red tint that covered the city tripled in intensity, it became impossible not to focus on the sky.

From every inch of Gurian's magic circle, an inferno of crimson flames was being released. The flames danced around as they fell, almost as if they were teasing their intended target. And from his position, Natsu couldn't blame them. Soveria, at least in its current state, was defenseless against an attack of this magnitude.

If the cities wizards weren't on the brink of death, they could've easily pooled together their magic energy. Maybe created a magical barrier to shield themselves. But that was just wishful thinking. With the R-system still draining Soveria's magical energy, Fairy Tail's strongest team were the only one's who could stop this attack.

All these thoughts, and many others, traveled through Natsu's mind in a matter of seconds. As he watched the city-wide fireball inch slowly closer to the ground, he felt a strange warmth in the pit of his stomach.

"Hey Lucy" he said solemnly, instantly gaining his friend's attention. "On the balcony, during that dance thing. Remember what you said to me?."

No doubt pondering his question, Lucy stood to her feet. The pink-haired mage didn't wait for an answer. Instead, he brought a roaring flame to both his feet. The flames launched him into the air like a shot, leaving behind one very confused cat, and one blushing blond-haired girl.

Even for a fire mage like himself, Gurian's crimson flames got unbearably hot the farther he flew. Still, he refused to turn around. Soaring into the sky with a body covered in flame, he could almost imagine Igneel flying beside him. Wings outstretched to cover the sky, eyes slanted in boiling anger, and two monstrous legs aimed straight ahead.

That thought fueled his ascent, to the point that his flames eventually took on that very form. A dragon made entirely of fire slammed claws first into Gurian's flames. Together, the two massive inferno's fought for supremacy over the sky. The Dragon roared constantly during this power struggle, an Earthland shattering move on its part.

For a moment it looked as though neither side would reign supreme. Against the Dragon's overwhelming natural strength, Gurian's magic circle simply continued to spill out fire. Try as it might, the Dragon couldn't keep the spell from falling farther and farther out of the sky. That is, until it opened its mouth.

Easily matching Gurian's spell, a mountain of flames shot out from the Dragon's mouth. The night sky turned to light in that instant, shining as brightly as the sun itself. What was once an equal match became a one-sided slug fest. The Dragon's breath attack easily pushed back Gurian's spell.

After a few seconds of blinding light, the Dragon's attack successfully reached the spell's magic circle. In one frighteningly beautiful explosion of fire, the circle was completely obliterated. As it continued to explode, Natsu shot out from the Dragon's mouth. Tearing directly through the wall of smoke, he found Gurian's demonic form on the other end.

Never once stopping, the pink-haired mage charged straight into his opponent's flames. Leaving a large whole in his wake, he exited the demon's back with Gurian in hand. Without its core, the demonic form disappeared.

"It's over Gurian" Natsu said through gritted teeth. Holding the man by his shirt, he made certain their eyes met as he spoke. "Now that I've got a fire in my belly, you don't stand a chance."

Gurian looked far worse for wear. Cuts and bruises marked most of his body, and his clothes were torn in several places. His face still wore a fairly demented stare, but it was also fighting back a fair amount of fear.

"I...I'll never stop trying" Gurian said weakly, speaking in a light whisper. "Do whatever you want to me Salamander, but I'll never stop trying to bring her back. You'll be forced to kill me."

Natsu clenched his free fist. Opening his mouth to speak, he was cut off by the sound of a muffled explosion.

"No!" Gurian screamed. Relentlessly squabbling to free himself, the man's gaze was dead set over Natsu's shoulder. "What have you done!?."

At a glance over his shoulder, Natsu couldn't help but grin. A large beam of magical energy was shooting directly through the roof of Gurian's estate. "Well, you only have yourself to blame" he said to the man in his grasp. "You left _four_ Fairy Tail wizards in a room with a giant breakable tower. What did you think would happen?."

Gurian's reply came in a burst of crimson flame. The attack did no physical damage, but it took Natsu off guard, causing him to release his grip. Once he was free, Gurian wasted no time in taking off across the sky.

"What the hell?" Natsu asked himself. At first, it looked as though the man was running away from him. But when his destination became clear, the pink-haired mage instantly began his pursuit.

"Don't do it Gurian!" he screamed, unable to clear the space between them. "It's too much energy, you won't be able to control it!."

His demand went unheeded. Gurian ran his body straight into the beam of magical energy, screaming in pain as he disappeared into its midst. Natsu stopped a foot away from the beam. "Gurian!."

The next few seconds went by at a snail's pace. Even with the power of a dragon flowing inside of him, Natsu couldn't find the strength to fly inside the beam. All he could was watch, bathed in the beam's light, as a blood curdling scream filled the night air.

"Natsu!."

The call of his name drew Natsu's gaze below him. Lucy and Happy flew quickly to his side, both wide-eyed at the beam of energy in front of him. "We saw what happened" Lucy exclaimed heartily, "I can't believe Gurian would just sacrifice himself like that. Who was he trying to bring back anyway?."

Natsu took a moment to consider his answer. "A friend" he said simply.

"That's so sad" Lucy replied, "maybe now...at least they'll get to see each other again."

While all three wizards smiled at the girl's words, Gurian's screaming finally came to an abrupt end. He knew he'd come to regret it, but Natsu allowed himself a quick sigh of relief. It was only seconds later that he'd realize how big of a mistake that was. Gurian's scream had ended, but it was almost immediately replaced by a fit of maniacal laughter.

The laughter grew and grew, until all three wizards felt their skin crawl simultaneously. When it reached its peak, the beam of energy turned from a pleasant light blue, into a hideous blood red.

"Back up!" Natsu yelled. Certain to keep a constant eye behind him, the pink-haired mage led his friends as far back as he could fly. By the time he turned around, they were directly above the train station at the cities outskirts.

"This can't be possible!" Happy screamed in disbelief, "no one could absorb that much magic energy without dying!."

Natsu decided not to answer. Whether or not it was possible, it was happening. As the beam dissipated, Gurian appeared from inside, his demonic form already covering his body. This time however, rather than dwarfing a single building, the form grew large enough to dwarf the city itself.

"He actually did it!" Lucy cried, the girl's fear evident in her voice. "The magic of every wizard in the city, he absorbed all of it!. He'll be unstoppable, there's no way we can defeat someone that powerful!."

At the end of her outburst, Lucy sounded on the verge of tears. Even though he could understand her reaction, the sound caused Natsu's scales to spread. Gurian's form blocked out the moonlight from their position, shrouding them in darkness. Through that darkness, he somehow managed to find the warmth of Lucy's hand.

"I've been thinking Lucy" he said solemnly, his tone completely disregarding the danger looming over them. "When I was little, I'd spend every night with Igneel, watching the night sky until I fell asleep. He told me that whenever a dragon was lost, all he needed was a starry night to find his way home.

Gurian had spotted them by now, but that didn't stop Natsu from continuing. "I always wondered what he meant by that, until the day I met you. The stars, your spirits, are a dragon's greatest ally. I'd say that makes our magic pretty compatible, don't ya think?."

As he finished speaking, Natsu felt a surge of magical energy erupt around him. Lucy's face was bright red, but she did return his gaze. "Yeah" she said softly, "I guess it does."

"You two better not start making out right in front of me" Happy teased playfully.

The two mages turned to face one another, their hands intertwined. A strong magical aura slowly spread over both their bodies. At this point, Gurian was directly on top of them. A hand of crimson flame, easily the size of a building, was quickly lowering in a downward strike of unbelievable power.

"The flames of a Dragon" Natsu started off, every word pulsating the aura around him.

"And the light of the stars" Lucy continued, trying her best not to blush.

Just when Gurian's attack would've swatted them from the air, both mages disappeared in a sudden flash of light. The light split into two separate orbs, which soared through the air almost too fast to see. Leaving a trail of fire as it went, Natsu's orb circled the city multiple times. In less than a minute, a wall of roaring flame covered Soveria's border.

In turn, Lucy's orb shot straight up. Avoiding a number of swipes from Gurian's demonic form, the orb flew in a dizzying pattern in the sky above him. When Natsu's orb finished its fire wall around the city, its light slowly started to diminish. Now covered in a faint aura, the pink-haired mage flew back into the cities middle.

At that time, Lucy completed her magic circle above Gurian. As she started to fly towards him, Natsu stretched out an open hand in her direction. "Put them together!" he screamed.

Like his own, Lucy's magical aura lessened the longer she flew. But with Happy's wings to propel her, the girl still managed to grab her friend's hand. "And this is what you get!" Lucy added with a grin.

"Unison Raid, Celestial Inferno!" they screamed together.

From their joined hands, a powerful wave of energy brought their spell to life. Gurian's demonic form tried to turn and face them, but failed just short of the action. Over a dozen hands of solid flame shot forth from the wall around the city. Each hand grabbed hold of Gurian's gargantuan form, keeping the struggling demon in place for what was next to come.

Lucy's magic circle came to life alongside a blinding light. Matching the stars themselves in beauty, the circle shot a dazzling beam of golden energy from its center. The beam completely engulfed Gurian's demonic form. As the demon's pain fueled cry grew, the beam's energy slowly tore away at its body.

Within a few minutes, only Gurian's human form was left inside the beam. Seeing this, both wizards let go of each others hands. The beam of energy stopped shining in an instant. As a result, Gurian's tattered body fell motionless from the sky. During that fall, the man's body began to shine with its stolen magical energy.

Natsu visibly cringed when Gurian's body hit the street. Because of the energy stored within him, the demented man made a crater far exceeding the size of his body. But from that same ruined street, the cities salvation finally shot into the sky. The stolen magic dispersed into the stars, taking the form of small golden droplets that fell all over Soveria's landscape.

It was a sight Natsu wanted to see for some time now, and it did _not_ disappoint.

"Natsu" Lucy said, her voice barely audible. "I think that attack drained most of my magic."

"I'm running low too" Happy said in agreement, his wings slowly shrinking on his back.

Watching his friends with a grin, Natsu lowered himself directly under them. Lucy fell into his arms, her eyes fighting to remain open, and Happy collapsed onto the girl's stomach. A careful eye on both, the pink-haired mage began his descent towards the city below. His boots hit the ground a few steps away from Gurian's crater.

Gurian's chest was still moving, but it was apparent he no longer had the strength to stand. "I made you a promise Gurian" Natsu said, breathing heavily on his walk into the crater's center. "I promise that I'd protect this city, no matter what." Using his boot to flip the man onto his back, Natsu furiously slanted his gaze.

The once demented man no longer looked insane. Instead, his eyes were filled with tears. Fists clenched, he tried unsuccessfully to stand. "Tr...Trisha" he said weakly, raising one arm towards the night sky.

"She's dead Gurian" Natsu said in a scolding tone. "If you can't learn to accept that, than her death meant nothing." The defeated man continued to try and stand, until a swift kick knocked him out cold.

"Hey is that the Mayor?", a voice in the distance asked.

"Yeah" another voice answered, "and I'd recognize that other guy anywhere. That's Salamander of Fairy Tail!."

"I wonder what happened?."

That conversation, along with countless others, began to fill the street. Natsu finally took notice of the area surrounding the crater. Along every inch of the crater's outer edge, wizards of all shapes and sizes were staring down at him. He also spotted the rest of his friends in the crowd, smiling down at him through their exhaustion.

Maybe it was the ether-nano flowing through him, or the feeling of Lucy's body in his arms. But either way, the pink-haired mage simply couldn't resist his next move. Rearing his head back, he let loose an ear shattering roar that echoed throughout the city. Even if they didn't know exactly what he'd done, every mage in Soveria now knew the power of a Fairy Tail wizard.


	13. The One Magic

**Episode 13: The One Magic**

The second his triumphant roar came to an end, Natsu began to feel his legs give out on him. Falling to his knees inside the giant crater, he made certain to keep his grip on Lucy's body. His friends rushed to his side a moment later, sliding down the crater's edge one by one.

Wendy was first to approach, her hands already covered in magical energy. "Miss Lucy" she said in a worried tone, "is she okay?, maybe I can-."

"It's okay Wendy, she's fine" Natsu cut her off, flashing the small girl a somewhat forced smile. "Just a little tired, I think that final attack drained us both." As he spoke, the man's legs started to shake once more. Worried he might accidentally drop her, he passed Lucy's unconscious form off to Gray.

"What about the ether-nano?" Gray asked, looking skeptically at the girl in his arms. "Was she actually able to convert it all into her own magic?"

The question drew four pairs of eyes on Natsu. Under the combined stares of his friends, the pink-haired mage felt his face redden instantly. "Well...not exactly" he said, while rubbing uncomfortably at the back of his head. "I sort of...you see...it's hard to explain."

"He kissed her." Happy's weak voice turned every head towards Lucy's stomach. The blue cat still looked too spent to move, but that didn't stop a wide grin from overtaking his face. "You guys missed it, it was really funny."

"_Well well_" Gray said teasingly, shooting a solid smirk in Natsu's direction. "Nice to see your true colors finally come out Natsu. The second Lucy blacks out, you steal a kiss."

"It wasn't like that!" Natsu yelled in his own defense. Now that all eyes were back on him, the man's face continued to change color. "I didn't have a choice, she would've died if the ether-nano stayed inside her!"

"Honestly Happy, think before you speak" Carla said from her spot by Wendy's feet. "I don't think what you saw was Natsu kissing Lucy, he must have sucked out the ether-nano through her mouth."

Happy was unable to answer, having once again lost consciousness. Instead, Erza stepped forward, placing a sympathetic hand on Natsu's shoulder. "Relax Natsu, you did the right thing. You've grown quite a bit stronger since the last time you ate ether-nano, you should have little trouble burning it up before it does any damage."

"Eh, I like Happy's version" Gray said, still holding his grin. "But I guess it doesn't matter in the end. Lucy's alive, Gurian's defeated, and all the cities mages got their magic back. I'd say that wraps everything up in one neat-"

"What the hell have you brats done this time?!"

The sudden outburst caused the entire street to go silent in an instant. As the crowd around the crater's edge parted to let someone through, Natsu swallowed hard. He could recognize the Master's scent from a mile away, but that didn't make his appearance from the crowd any less surprising. Although, as intimidating as his presence was, Makarov's outfit drained the moment of its seriousness.

Dressed in a brightly colored shirt and painfully short pants, the Master started down the crater with his gaze set straight ahead. A look equal parts anger and confusion on his face, he came to a sudden stop beside the group of mages. "Well!" the old man said expectantly, "go ahead and explain why half this city is in ruins!"

"Gramps!" Natsu screamed, failing to hide the fear in his voice. "I-I thought you were on vacation!"

Makarov looked at the scene around him. "I was on my way back to Magnolia just minutes ago. That is until I looked out my train's window and saw a city covered in flames!"

"Please calm down Master" Erza said in a polite tone, either unaware or uncaring of the pink-haired mage hiding behind her. "I realize how all of this must look, but I assure you there's a perfectly reasonable explanation."

Turning away from the Master, Erza raised her voice for all to her. "Wizards of Soveria!" she screamed to the crowd above, "approximately two days ago tonight!, the Fairy Tail guild accepted a job offered in your city! Our objective was to determine why most of you were being drained of your magical energy!, an objective we recently completed!"

Her words drew a mixed reaction from the crowd. Some seemed to understand, others looked more confused than before she spoke. But that alone wasn't the point of her explanation. Now that Makarov could comprehend the situation, the old man's anger slowly began to fade.

"All of your suffering is due to the actions of one man!" Erza continued, still screaming at the top of her lungs. The scarlet-haired mage then walked into the crater's center. "This man!" she said while pointing down to Gurian's unconscious form.

A series of shocked gasps escaped the crowd. One by one, Erza's words hit every last mage standing around the crater. Once again, their reactions were mixed.

"And why should we believe you?" one man asked from inside the crowd.

"Yeah!" another agreed, their voice noticeably higher. "One second I can't move, the next I walk outside to see our Mayor half dead in the street!. How do we know all of this isn't your fault?!"

_'What the hell?'_ Natsu thought to himself, _'Gurian said this city worshiped the Fairy Tail guild? I guess that was another lie.'_

To everyone's surprise, Makarov looked ready to speak. But before the old man got a chance, another voice from the crowd cut him off.

"Enough!"

For a second time, the entire area entered a dead silence. Creating a much wider gap than they had for Makarov, the crowd of wizards seemed almost scared of whoever was approaching. Those who didn't bow in respect at least drooped their gaze to the ground, unwilling to raise their heads until the moment was over. Natsu may have been curious as to who garnered this much respect, if a familiar scent hadn't already answered that question.

Clad in the hefty black armor of his fellow men, Mars led an entire platoon of soldiers down into the crater. Like everyone else around him, Natsu could feel Mars' restored magical energy. It was clear from the beginning that the man was a powerful mage, but having him this close made it even more apparent. The man's aura was outdone only by Master Makarov's, and was clearly worthy of respect.

Mars walked to Erza's side and placed an armored hand on her shoulder. When the scarlet-haired mage took a few steps back, he moved that same hand to his mouth. In a flash of golden energy, a megaphone appeared in the grip of his closed fist.

"Men and women of Soveria, Titania speaks the truth!" With the aid of his magic device, the man's voice bounced all throughout the street. "It hurts to say this, but our Mayor has betrayed us. In his attempt to bring a single person back from the dead, he was willing to sacrifice every citizen in Soveria!"

Unlike Erza, Mars' words immediately resonated with the crowd. Within seconds, several mages were on the verge of tears. "This city still stands" Mars continued, "but only because these wizards behind me risked their lives to protect it!"

At his final words, Mars turned around to face the group of Fairy Tail wizards. Meeting Natsu's eyes, the man fell to one knee, as did the soldiers positioned around him. "Fairy Tail. Soveria is forever in your debt."

That short sentence was all it took for the crowd above them to erupt. A wave of roaring cheers and thunderous applause washed over the area. It was so loud in fact, Natsu and Wendy were forced to cover their ears. But just like the rest of their Fairy Tail comrades, they wore a wide smile while doing so.

When the crowds reaction finally started to dwindle, Mars pulled himself back. A single nod ordered his men out of the crater. The platoon then went to work at slowly dispersing the now lively crowd. It didn't take long before only the handful inside the crater remained in the street.

Certain things were quiet enough, Natsu lowered his hands just as Mars walked over to him. "I knew I could count on you Natsu" the man said sincerely, "sorry I had to be so cryptic about helping you. Gurian had those damned shadow mages watching my every move."

"Don't worry about it" Natsu said with a toothy grin. "Once we figured out who the bad guy was, it was a peace of cake."

Mars started to laugh at his comment, but was stopped short when Makarov joined the conversation. "Excuse me young man, I must have misheard you. The name of this cities Mayor, what did you just say it was?"

"Huh?" Mars asked, "who said that?" Aiming a confused gaze all around him, Mars eventually followed Natsu's helpful finger downward. "Oh, sorry about that sir. Soveria's Mayor is...excuse me..._was_, sir Francis Gurian."

Makarov's expression turned every head in the crater. Two fists clenched, the old man silently walked to Gurian's side. While everyone else seemed too confused to speak, Natsu's curiosity finally got the better of him. "Gramps, what's wrong?" he asked lightly, "you don't have to worry Gramps, Lucy and I hit that guy with a butt-load of magical energy. He won't be getting back up anytime soon."

_'You damned fool'_ Makarov whispered under his breath._'I never thought you'd go this far, not in a million years.'_

More confused than ever, Natsu moved to stand beside the old man. It was clear from Makarov's tone that something was bothering him. "Gramps?" Natsu asked once more.

When he answered, Makarov spoke so that only the two of them could hear his words. "Not here my boy. Later, when we can talk in private."

"_Okay_?" Natsu said, casually shrugging off his confusion. A cold gust of wind reminded the pink-haired mage of his current situation. As Mars stepped forward and began to bind Gurian's hands, Natsu turned back around. "We should get Lucy to a bed" he said to his friends, "she probably...she needs...she."

With his last few words trailing off into mindless mumbles, Natsu felt his legs finally give out. A pair of small arms tried to stop him as he fell, but Wendy only succeeded in getting herself squished. Seconds before blacking out, the pink-haired mage heard Gray's voice directly above him.

"Damn it Natsu. I'm not carrying both of you back to the castle!"

* * *

It wasn't until he woke up several hours later, that Natsu realized how much fighting Gurian had taken out of him. Every bone in his body screamed at the slightest movement, and a sharp jolt of pain shot constantly into his side. For a moment, even his eyelids refused to open. When they did however, he was met with the beautiful view of a clear morning sky.

_'Wait. That can't be right?'_

"You're finally up", a familiar voice said to him. "All that ether-nano must have really done a number on you. You've been asleep for almost eight hours now."

Lacking the strength to sit up, Natsu instead turned his head towards the familiar voice. Loke was leaning against the wall opposite his bed, an unreadable gaze hidden under his hair. As he waited for his friend to speak, it became clear to Natsu exactly where he was. The room Gurian had offered them looked drastically different without a ceiling.

"That was some fight", Loke said during his walk to the man's bedside. "I think I can safely speak for all of Lucy's spirits when I say thank you. What Gurian planned to do...it probably would've been the end of us all."

"Ugh, don't mention it." Natsu rubbed at his throbbing forehead. Against his better judgment, he tried to prop himself up against the wall behind him. A quick jolt of pain was the result, one that sent him falling back down into the bed.

"Ah!, damn it!", he cursed sharply. From underneath his blanket, he could see a fair amount of bandages covering his bare chest. "What the hell? Was I really hurt that badly?"

"Please Natsu, try and keep from moving." Natsu's eyes were forced shut from the pain, but he could still recognize Virgo's voice. Along with her advice, the girl carefully helped him back into his original position. "You only suffered minor injuries from your fight, but the ether-nano inside you has yet to burn up completely."

"Damn it" Natsu repeated. "I guess that shit can still knock me out seven years later. I hope Lucy didn't-" stopping himself mid-sentence, the pink-haired mage snapped his eyes back open. "Wait. Where's Lucy? Is she okay?"

Before anyone could answer him, Natsu's gaze was drawn to the bed beside his own. His heartbeat settled at the sight of both Lucy and Happy sleeping soundly. Like him, the blond-haired girl was covered in a few bandages here and there, but nothing that looked too serious.

"She'll be fine", Loke assured him after a minute of silence. "Wendy restored some of her magical energy, but she still needs rest to gain back everything she lost."

His heartbeat returned to normal, Natsu sunk back into the bed. As he closed his eyes, he listened to Virgo work her way back across the room. "I'm afraid the clothes you had on were too burnt to salvage", she said to him. "However, their wasn't a single mark on your scarf, and I did take the liberty of cleaning the clothes I found by your bed."

When the girl was done talking, Natsu felt a lump of clothes being set by his feet. "Thanks Virgo" he said with a smile. "It's a little weird this is the second time you've undressed me though."

Both spirits laughed at his comment, relieving some of the tension from the room. Natsu reopened his eyes after the shared laugh with his friends. Virgo had just finished placing Lucy's clothes on her bed. The maiden then began to disappear, running a hand through Lucy's golden hair.

"Sleep well Princess."

The moment Virgo vanished, Natsu painfully forced himself back against the wall. Even the thought of movement hurt his side, but he refused to stay in bed all day. To his credit, Loke said nothing in response. The spirit simply watched as his friend inched off the bed, and onto his feet.

"Gray mentioned what you did to save her", Loke said. His gaze stayed on the floor while Natsu got dressed. "I can't even imagine what swallowing ether-nano must do to you. But that aside, I do have one question I'd like to ask you."

"Yeah. What is it?" Having just finished dressing himself, Natsu wrapped Igneel's scarf into place as Loke approached him.

The spirits face was the definition of serious. So much so in fact, that Natsu's fists clenched the closer he got. When only an inch of space separated them, Loke grabbed onto his shirt with both hands.

"What was it like?" Loke asked.

Natsu raised an eyebrow. Loke's tone was impossible to decipher, and the spirit's grip on his chest tightened as time went on. "What are you talking about. What was what like?"

In that instant, Loke relieved his grip, looking up to Natsu with two heart shaped eyes. "Kissing Lucy. What was it like?"

Feeling his face quickly turn red, Natsu pushed his friend back in disbelief. "Seriously, that was what you wanted?!"

"Oh come on man!" Fueled by his desperation, Loke fell to his knees. "You have to give me something!", he pleaded in a rather over dramatic fashion. "Were her lips soft? What did it taste like? Come on Natsu, I'll take anything!"

"I didn't kiss her!" Natsu screamed. "All I did was suck out the ether-nano! It hurt like hell!"

Loke looked somewhat surprised from his reaction, but quickly shrugged it off. Standing back to his feet, the spirit casually patted the dust off of his suit. "Oh, well in that case. I guess I have no reason to stick around."

"Wait." Natsu stepped forward as Loke started to disappear. "Don't you wanna stay and wait for Lucy to wake up?"

Due to the rays of sunlight shining down from above, Loke's golden energy was completely camouflaged. As a result, it looked as though he was simply fading from existence. "No" the spirit answered simply. "Lucy's made her feelings pretty clear. When she wakes up, the first thing she sees, should be you watching over her."

"What...what's that supposed to mean?"

Natsu's question went unanswered, mainly because no one was left to answer it. With Loke gone, only Lucy, Happy, and himself were left in the room. After shaking Loke's words from his head, the pink-haired mage pulled a chair over to Lucy's bedside. The next few minutes were spent in total silence.

For most of the time, Natsu kept his gaze aimed upward. With the room currently lacking a ceiling, a pure blue sky was visible above him. The sun's rays warmed his skin, and a gentle breeze blew every now and again. It was surprisingly comfortable, he'd have to ask the Master later on if he could do this to the guildhall.

That thought made him smile, as did the sounds of a lively city all around him. Lighthearted chatter, the pleasant laughs of children playing, and the roar of several magic-mobiles traveling the street outside. Their was no doubt in his mind that Soveria was back to normal. In fact, from his current position, the sounds reminded him very much of Magnolia.

His smile now widened, the pink-haired mage looked down at his sleeping friend. The sunlight hitting Lucy's body made both her hair and skin shine. For some reason, the sight caused a strange feeling inside Natsu's gut. Convinced it was because the girl was wearing only a bra and panties, he pulled the blanket up to her neck.

During that motion, a slight moan caused him to nearly fall from his seat. As he steadied himself, Lucy's eyes opened, and immediately looked in his direction. "Hey", she said with a smile.

"Hey" Natsu said back.

Lucy started to sit up, but decided against it after noticing the pile of clothes by her feet. "Virgo was here" she said matter-of-factly. Sinking her head back into the pillow, the girl looked up at her friend. "Natsu. I was hoping you'd be here when I woke up."

"Really?" The pink-haired mage had to look away while he spoke. "Why...uh, why's that?"

He was expecting Lucy's voice to answer him. Instead, a hard tug on his scarf pulled him downward. While Lucy's eyes closed instinctively, his went as wide as they could possibly go. The next time his friends teased him for kissing Lucy, he would have no choice but to smile and accept it. This time around, there was no way to deny what was happening.

Looking down at his friend, Natsu felt every inch of his body overflow with warmth. Lucy's lips were obviously the source of this feeling. If Loke ever bugged him again, he made note to answer his first question with a resounding yes. For a mage who could summon fire in the blink of an eye, Natsu had never felt anything this warm in his life.

The moment only lasted a second or two, after which Lucy pulled back and smiled wide. "I was still conscious" she said softly, every word causing their lips to touch. "I heard what you said, before you sucked out the ether-nano."

"Huh?" Clearly lost in though, Natsu rubbed at the back of his head. "Oh yeah. What did I say again?"

"You already forgot!" Lucy said, giggling uncontrollably in the process. "Oh god, I'm in love with an idiot!"

Despite still drawing a blank at what the girl was talking about, Natsu shared in Lucy's laughter. As he laughed, his hand moved from his head to her face. Gently cupping the girl's cheek, he leaned down once more, this time entirely on his own.

"Eww. You two are gonna do this all the time now aren't you?"

Natsu heard Happy's voice behind him plain as day, but nothing short of death would stop his current action.

* * *

Natsu heard the tell-tale sounds of a party the farther he walked through the castle. It only made sense in his mind. After everything they'd been through, Soveria's citizens deserved to enjoy themselves for a while. However, the closer they got to the ballroom, he couldn't help but feel uneasy.

He couldn't quite place it, but something still didn't feel right. Whatever it was though, it left his mind when he looked to the girl beside him. Walking hand in hand with Lucy was something he knew instantly would never get old. Happy had even collapsed on top of their intertwined hands, smiling as he enjoyed his free ride down the hall.

That was exactly how they entered the ceiling-less ballroom. The once extravagant room was now littered with piles or rubble and overturned tables, but that didn't seem to bother the party goers. Male and female mages of all shapes and sizes were dancing, laughing, and simply partying over every inch of the ballroom. Among them, Natsu could see Gray dancing with Wendy, Erza being surrounded by several so called 'suitors', and Makarov speaking with Mars out on the balcony.

"I'm gonna go find Carla" Happy said while flying off his friend's hands.

Try as he might, Natsu couldn't pry his eyes off of Master Makarov. "Hey Luce, I'll be back in a second."

Lucy nodded her understanding, and the two parted ways. While she made her way towards her friends, he walked out onto the balcony. Mars was just leaving when he approached. The armor-clad man patted his shoulder as they passed one another, to which Natsu offered a solid grin.

"Alright Gramps" Natsu said once Mars was out of earshot. "What was up with you yesterday? You said something about wanting to talk?"

The elderly man could barely see over the railing his was standing beside. In order to see the colorful garden beyond, his gaze was forced to look through the columns underneath the railing. "Lahar and his unit have shown up to take Gurian into custody", the man said in an unreadable tone. "Tell me Natsu, when you spoke with Gurian, did he reveal anything about his past?"

Joining Makarov by the railing, Natsu took a moment to think. "Well, only that he used to be in a guild. That is before his friend died, the one he was trying to bring back with the R-system."

"Trisha" Makarov added.

"Yeah." Natsu nodded his head. "But...wait. How did you know her name?"

Alongside a pleasant gust of wind, Makarov turned and looked up at the pink-haired mage. "My boy, this may not be the easiest thing for you to take in. The guild Gurian was in... it was Fairy Tail."

For a moment, Natsu was sure he'd misheard the old man. But taking his own magic into consideration, he knew that was impossible. No words able to escape his lips, he remained silent to let the old man continue.

"Both Francis and Trisha joined not too long after I did" Makarov explained. "The two made quite a team, one of the strongest in the guild at the time. When Trisha died however, the poor lad just couldn't stop blaming himself for her death. Some of us tried to convince him to stay, but he left the guild not a week after it happened. Until last night, I assumed he was dead."

"Damn it!" Natsu cursed while relentlessly squeezing the railing. "That bastard was a member of our guild. How could someone from Fairy Tail attempt something so selfish?"

"I'm sorry my boy" Makarov said solemnly, "Trisha's death simply changed him. He didn't just lose his friend that day, the hero inside him died as well."

_'Hero?'_

That word caused Natsu's mind to think back. He finally realized what had been bothering him before. So many things Gurian said to him, they still didn't make any sense.

_'I knew you were the right mage for this job.'_

_'I know for a fact this city is headed for disaster. Promise me that, no matter what happens, you and your friends will protect it.'_

_'I'll never stop trying to bring her back. You'll be forced to kill me.'_

"No" Natsu said after a long silence. "He didn't change, not one bit."

"My boy?" Makarov raised an eyebrow at the pink-haired mage.

Natsu could feel the railing crack under the pressure of his grip. It took all he had to keep his flames in check as he turned to face the Master. "He needed Lucy to power the R-system, but I don't think that was the only reason he sent the job request to our guild. Gurian knew what Fairy Tail mages were like, there's no way he thought he could beat us."

"Your saying that he always intended to lose?" Makarov guessed. "That he never actually wanted to use the R-system."

"Not quite" Natsu said with a shake of his head. "He definitely wanted to use it, but I think a small part of him also wanted to fail. If his plan would've worked out, a lot of people would've died. I don't think the hero inside him could handle that."

Makarov opened his mouth to speak, but Natsu already had a look of sheer determination on his face. "I'll talk to ya later Gramps" the pink-haired mage said while turning towards the ballroom.

Natsu set off in a mad dash across the large room, one that turned several heads, including the blond-haired girl awaiting his return. "Natsu?" Lucy said as he ran by, "where are you going now?"

"Sorry Lucy, I just remembered something I have to do."

It was clear that his answer confused her, but the look in his eyes kept her from saying anything more. Leaving the ballroom behind him, Natsu ran through the castle's many hallways. After practically crashing through its main entrance, he ran out onto the sidewalk. A number of heavily armored magic-mobiles were parked across from the castle.

Inside the window of one, Natsu spotted the man he was looking for. Sure enough, as he sat waiting to be taken to jail, Gurian wore a wide smile on his face. Through the barred window, Gurian glanced up, meeting his eyes as his smile grew. Rather than say anything, Natsu chose to raise his right hand.

Pointing one finger into the bright sky above, the pink-haired mage brought tears to two pairs of eyes. Seconds before his magic-mobile started to move, Gurian raised his cuffed hands, and perfectly copied Natsu's action. As the man's current jail cell disappeared down the road, Natsu walked into the middle of the street.

Because he knew Gurian was doing the same, he kept his finger pointed upward for as long as he could. _'I may not be able to see you, there may be hundreds of miles between us, but I'll always be looking your way.'_

"Natsu!"

Finally lowering his hand, Natsu turned to see Lucy running towards him. "What are you doing out here?" she asked once she reached the sidewalk. "Is something wrong?"

Natsu took a moment to answer. Not because he didn't know what to say, but because he needed time to take Lucy's hands in his own. "No" he answered simply, "come on, lets go back inside."

Together, the two mages made their way back into the ballroom. Rather than splitting up again, they walked hand in hand into the dancing crowd. Ignoring the looks he got from the rest of his friends, Natsu began to dance slowly with the blond-haired girl.

While enjoying that moment, Natsu felt a wide smile grace his lips. What brought it on he wasn't sure, but given his present situation, it could've been several different factors. Maybe the feeling of Lucy's head pressed against his chest?, or the sound of his friends laughing happily all around him?, or even the warmth of the sunlight shining down from above? After so long, he gave up trying to guess.

As long as he was smiling, why did the reason even matter?


End file.
